Milan became Camden's first Hispanic mayor on July 1, 1997, a relative political newcomer who convinced voters he could turn the city around. His sentencing comes with the city still in a financial crisis and the state considering a takeover of government operations.
During his first term as mayor, he was indicted on a 19-count corruption case, and convicted on 14 of those counts, among them:
*laundered $65,000 in drug money
*staged a break-in with his former business partner to collect insurance money illegally
*accepted $30,000 to $50,000 in bribes from the Mafia
*used campaign money to pay for a vacation to Puerto Rico
*received two vehicles and thousands of dollars in free work on his home from city contractors
*authorized the shakedown of a $5,000 political contribution from the city's public defender
Politicians of color are in a position to make a difference even if it is small, and this opportunity should never be squandered because of personal interest that can ultimately remove them from office. In the case of Milan, one has to think about the decisions they make before they even go into politics since they can come back to bite them.
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