A History Lesson of Corruption in Union City

Union City, New Jersey, has a storied history marked by political turbulence, corruption, and influential figures whose actions have left lasting imprints on the community. From the mid-20th century’s influx of Cuban exiles to recent allegations of corruption against local officials, the city’s narrative is a complex tapestry of ambition, power, and controversy.

The only Police Department to arrest Fidel Castro in History

In the mid-1950s, Union City became a haven for Cuban exiles opposing the Batista regime. During this period, a young revolutionary named Fidel Castro visited Union City to garner support and raise money for his cause. In 1955, After giving a speech in a night bar on 26th Street, Le Molino Rojo (The Red Mill), led to a brawl in which Castro was arrested in Union City by then-Police Chief Herman Bolte. This incident, though not widely documented, underscores the city’s early connections to significant international political movements.

The Cuban Mafia’s Influence

Following the Cuban Revolution and the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, Union City saw an influx of Cuban exiles. Among them was José Miguel Battle Sr., a former Havana police officer and Bay of Pigs veteran. Battle established “The Corporation,” also known as the Cuban Mafia, which engaged in illicit activities such as the numbers game “bolita.” By the 1970s, The Corporation’s operations spanned New Jersey, New York, and Florida, reportedly generating up to $45 million annually. Battle’s influence permeated Hudson County, fostering relationships with local politicians; including Union City Mayor and State Senator, William Musto, members of the Union City Police Department and organized crime families.​

Political Corruption and Pay-to-Play Practices

Union City’s political landscape has been repeatedly marred by corruption and pay-to-play schemes. In the 1960s, Teamsters Local 560, headquartered at 707 Summit Avenue, was under the control of mobster Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano, a caporegime in the Genovese crime family. Provenzano was implicated in various illegal activities, including the notorious disappearance of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa in 1975.

The 1970s and 1980s saw Mayor William “Bill” Musto as a central figure in Union City’s political arena. Musto, who served as both mayor and state senator, was a mentor to future political leaders, including Bob Menendez and Brian P. Stack. Despite his contributions to the city’s development, Musto’s tenure was overshadowed by corruption charges. In 1982, he was convicted on federal racketeering and fraud charges for accepting kickbacks from contractors. Demonstrating his enduring local support, Musto won re-election even after his conviction, famously declaring, “This is my jury.” He was later honored with a cultural center named after him, underscoring hiscomplex legacy.

Bob Menendez: From Protégé to Convict

Bob Menendez began his political career under Bill Musto’s mentorship, initially serving as a school board member and later as a city councilman. Menendez testified against Musto during the 1982 corruption trial while wearing a bullet proof vest, positioning himself as a reformer and propelling his political ascent. He went on to serve as mayor, state legislator, and eventually as a U.S. Senator.​

However, Menendez’s career was fraught with legal challenges. In 2015, he faced federal corruption charges related to alleged favors for a Florida ophthalmologist but avoided conviction after a mistrial in 2017. His legal troubles resurfaced, and in 2024, Menendez was convicted on multiple charges, including bribery, extortion, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. The investigation revealed that he had accepted substantial bribes, including gold bars and cash, in exchange for political favors. Senator Menendez claimed this was an attack by his political enemies and political bosses attempting to unseat him for political power. 

“I know where all the skeletons in the closet are, I know who all the players are in and out of government, and the issues most important to the people of Hudson County. At the end of the day, I don’t need the party line to win in Hudson.” – Bob Menendez

While nearly all politicians called for Menendez resignation, there was only one Hudson County politician who remained silent and didn’t call for his resignation. That politician was none other than Brian P. Stack. Are those skeletons his?

In January 2025, Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the once-prominent senator. His son Rob Menendez Jr. is currently serving as the Congressional Representative of NJ District 8, following in his father’s footsteps. We may expect history to continue to repeat itself.  

Brian Stack: Allegations of Corruption and Police Manipulation

Brian P. Stack, another protégé of Bill Musto, has been a dominant force in Union City politics, serving as mayor since 2000 and as a state senator since 2008. Despite his popularity and reputation for hands-on governance, Stack’s administration has faced numerous allegations of corruption and unethical practices.​

Critics, including North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, have accused Stack of leveraging substantial state aid to finance a powerful political machine. Union City receives significant state funds annually, with over $300 million allocated, including approximately $241.8 million designated for educating about 11,000 students. Sacco contends that this funding supports hundreds of employees who function as political operatives, extending their influence into neighboring towns.

Further allegations suggest that Stack exercises undue influence over the Union City Police Department. Lawsuits have claimed that police officers are pressured to make donations to the Brian P. Stack Civic Association as a prerequisite for promotions. One such lawsuit alleges that the association’s primary purpose is to “promote, protect and maintain Mayor Stack’s political power in the Union City Police Department.”

Day Care Funds

On March 26, 2007, Stack was one of three legislators subpoenaed regarding the disbursement of at least two $100,000 grants that went to the Union City Day Care, which is headed by Stack’s estranged wife, Katia, and partially government funded. The subpoena was based on a complaint by Republican activist Steve Lonegan, who filed 36 conflict of interest complaints against state legislators. A state ethics panel cleared Stack in late November 2009, ruling unanimously that he did not benefit from the grants, and that there was no conflict of interest.

Private use of Municipal Vehicles

In January 2011, Stack was criticized in one of Arnold Díaz‘s “Shame Shame Shame” segments for WNYW Fox 5 for allowing the use of city-owned vehicles by his ex-wife, Katia Stack. Katia is the director of The Union City Day Care Program, a private organization with a $6 million budget, and was assigned by Mayor Stack a car owned by the Union City Police Department, as well as free gas and insurance. The Day Care Program also has at least one other public vehicle. In addition, Díaz reported that the day care center itself does not pay any rent for the city building in which it is housed. Stack stated that his administration did nothing wrong, and that the center’s housing and vehicle status was initiated before he became mayor in 2000, but according to Díaz, WNYW did not receive requested documentation of this fact. Díaz states that the car Katia Stack had been using had been returned to the police department parking lot after their investigation began, and that she reimbursed the city for the cost of gas and insurance.

Stack again came under Díaz’s scrutiny in February 2013 for the free rides that residents of the luxury high-rise Troy Towers in Union City are given to Hoboken Terminal, a service that began a few months prior, as indicated in a letter residents of that building received from Stack. The city van, which is normally used to transport seniors, picks up residents three times every weekday morning at the Troy Towers, despite the fact that a public bus stops there as well. Joseph Blaettler, a former Deputy Police Chief of Union City and Mayor Stack’s former police liaison, who previously provided information to WNYW for the January 2011 report, criticized Stack for the rides, accusing Stack of using them to curry favor with Troy Towers voters. Emilio del Valle, a member of the advocacy group Union City Concerned Citizens, also criticized Stack for the taxpayer-funded service, which del Valle said was not needed. When interviewed, Stack stated that he was not attempting to buy the tower residents’ votes, but provides the service because they are the largest taxpayers in the city, and that the van service is given to Union City citizens who request transportation to the terminal, doctor’s appointments, etc., and that the citizenry is made aware of this.

Díaz countered that the van driver’s statements did not support this, nor did WNYW’s surveillance of the van, which yielded no instances when it picked up at other locations, nor its interviews with low-income citizens who received no similar letter, and expressed ignorance of the service. According to Díaz, because Union City is classified as a fiscally distressed city, it receives $10 million a year in state aid, and Stack says that the van does not cost the city anything. However, Blaettler questions who pays for the cost of gas,insurance and the driver, who despite Stack’s statement, says he is not the same driver who transports seniors during the van’s normal operation. Díaz also points out that the service continued even after Hoboken Terminal was closed in October 2012 due to flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy, and placed Stack in the program’s Hall of Shame for “abusing his power”

ICE

In December 2016, the city settled a lawsuit with former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Ricky Patel, who accused Stack of using government resources to harass him. According to Patel’s November 2014 lawsuit, about two weeks after the FBI raided the Union City Community Development Agency, he found a note on his vehicle informing him that the car was “part of an ongoing investigation”, and noticed his apartment was being surveilled by a woman revealed to be Stack’s girlfriend. When Patel asked the woman why she was parked in front of his apartment, she called Stack, who then arrived and as Patel described, exclaimed, “I am the f**king Mayor! This is my city! F**k the feds!” Patel was then escorted to police headquarters, where a police lieutenant told her that she was concerned federal agents were “conducting an unsanctioned investigation against our mayor.” The Union City insurance carrier settled the lawsuit for $100,000, with neither the city nor its officials admitting any wrongdoing.

Investigative Journalist

Additionally, Leonard Filipowski, known as “Leroy Truth,” has been a vocal critic of Stack, alleging corruption, misconduct, and even physical assault by the mayor and other city officials. Filipowski has utilized social media platforms to disseminate his claims, aiming to expose systemic corruption within the city’s administration. Leroy Truth alleges ​multiple violations of civil rights, including false arrest, harassment and assault. Leroy states in multiple videos that he is receiving information of city corruption from multiple sources to include current and former city employees, elected officials, residents, employees of the Board of Education and much more. Leroy has pending hearings and litigation at this time. While Brian P. Stack’s public image is of a hard working public servant and dedicated to the residents of Union City, we can give him the credit of carefully perfecting his public image as a politician, while keeping his true colors behind the curtain and away from public view. 

Conclusion

Union City’s history is a testament to the challenges urban centers face in combating organized crime and political corruption. From Fidel Castro’s arrest in the 1950s to contemporary allegations against local officials, the city has continually grappled with issues of integrity and governance. While critics like Leonard Filipowski bring attention to potential misconduct, the veracity of such claims requires thorough investigation and substantiation.