George Norcross, Democratic Power Broker, Is Charged With Racketeering

George E. Norcross III, New Jersey’s once-powerful Democratic kingmaker, was charged on Monday with racketeering along with five other defendants, according to a person close to the New Jersey attorney general, Matthew J. Platkin.

The 13-count indictment unsealed by the attorney general accused the group of unlawfully obtaining property and property rights on the waterfront in Camden, N.J., collecting millions of dollars in government-issued tax credits, and controlling and influencing government officials.

A spokesman for Mr. Norcross, Daniel Fee, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Mr. Norcross’s brother, Philip A. Norcross, the chief executive of a law firm based in Camden, was also among those charged by the attorney general, whose office had been investigating Mr. Norcross’s access to government tax breaks.

The charges reinforce New Jersey’s already tarnished reputation for political corruption. The state’s senior senator, Robert Menendez, is his sixth week of trial, charged by federal prosecutors with accepting cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for his willingness to use his political clout to dole out favors for allies.

Mr. Norcross, an insurance executive who served on the Democratic National Committee, was for decades the most powerful unelected political official in New Jersey. He was instrumental in selecting governors, steering legislation and influencing state policy.

About a year ago, Mr. Norcross suggested he was stepping back from politics after a series of embarrassing legislative defeats. His public statements coincided with news reports that the attorney general’s office had revived its investigation into more than a billion dollars in tax breaks awarded to South Jersey companies close to Mr. Norcross under legislation backed by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.