Murphy said Gilliam\u2019s actions were \u201cdespicable,\u201d adding he had \u201csquandered the trust of his community.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation as Mayor of the City of Atlantic City, effective immediately,\u201d Gilliam wrote in an official statement. \u201cI would like to apologize to the residents of the great city of Atlantic City, who deserve stability and respect.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Gilliam was elected mayor after an extended period of economic downturn in Atlantic City, which saw the closure of four of its 12 casinos. He criticized his Republican predecessor, Don Guardian, for allowing the state to take over the city finances.<\/p>\n
He promised change, blaming the city\u2019s misfortunes on poor city governance and on the casinos. He vowed to reinvent the town as a family friendly destination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve lost our identity because of gaming,\u201d he said. \u201cIf everyone got to the table, Atlantic City would find its way.\u201d<\/p>\n
$10,000 Accident<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn March 2008, a New Jersey judge dismissed a complaint against Gilliam regarding the alleged misappropriation of a $10,000 check from the Atlantic City Democratic Committee (ACDC).<\/p>\n
Gilliam claimed it had been a mistake and later returned the money.<\/p>\n
Judge Bernard DeLury of the New Jersey Superior Court said there had not been a \u201cscintilla of evidence\u201d that the incident was anything but an honest error.<\/p>\n
\n
But questions about Gilliam\u2019s character remained because of press reports that he had a restraining order filed against him in 1997 for domestic violence, and that he appeared to have invented a master\u2019s degree in social work from San Francisco State University out of thin air.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gilliam continues a long tradition of Atlantic City mayors who have ended their tenure with prison sentences looming. These include Michael Matthews, who was charged in 1983 with accepting money from Nicodemo \u201cLittle Nicky\u201d Scarfo, the late, psychotic head of the Philadelphia crime family, as well as from an FBI undercover agent.<\/p>\n
Most recently, Bob Levy was sentenced in 2007 to three years\u2019 probation for lying about his military record in order to obtain veterans\u2019 benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Atlantic City’s Democratic mayor Frank Gilliam Jr resigned on Thursday after pleading guilty in a federal court in Camden, New Jersey to one count of wire fraud. He admitted to siphoning $87,000 from a charity youth basketball program into his own pockets. His plea comes less than a year after he was cleared of assault […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":116453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Atlantic City Mayor Stole From Youth Basketball Program, Faces 20 Years<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n