A state grand jury has indicted two South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) officials—current Commissioner Christopher Milam, 46, and former Commissioner Bryan Bush, 53—on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, and perjury.
The indictment alleges the two political appointees withheld payments to an engineering firm as political retribution after its executive, Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino, defied South Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III by endorsing a rival candidate in the 2023 Mercer County Executive primary.
The case, announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), centers on allegations that Milam and Bush abused their positions to punish Cimino for endorsing a candidate in the 2023 Mercer County Executive primary instead of the one favored by Norcross.
Investigators say the two men repeatedly voted against approving payments to T&M Associates, where Cimino serves as vice president, despite the firm having completed contracted work for the SJTA.
“This indictment indicates that these defendants abused their positions of power to get retribution,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Scheming to unjustly use a public office as a weapon to manipulate and punish political opponents is misconduct, and those who engage in this type of behavior will be held to account.”
Text messages obtained during the investigation reportedly show Milam explicitly linking the withheld payments to political retaliation.
In one exchange from February 2023, Milam allegedly wrote to Bush: “They cut South Jersey in Mercer County, so now we vote no.”
Prosecutors say the men later lied under oath about their motives when questioned before the grand jury, leading to additional perjury charges.
“The defendants allegedly used their positions at the South Jersey Transportation Authority as leverage to pursue a political vendetta, betraying the public that they were meant to serve,” said OPIA Executive Director Drew Skinner. “As alleged, they then lied about the scheme under oath.”
Milam resigned as Democratic municipal chairman in Washington Township, Gloucester County’s largest municipality, after criminal charges were announced against him and Bush, who is a Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 official.
The indictment marks the latest development in a broader scrutiny of political influence in South Jersey, where Norcross has long been a dominant force.
While Norcross is not named in this case, the allegations highlight tensions between his political network and officials who defy its directives.
Norcross was indicted in a separate corruption case, which was dismissed. The state is appealing that dismissal.
Milam and Bush face second-degree charges of conspiracy and official misconduct, each carrying potential prison terms of five to ten years, as well as third-degree perjury charges punishable by three to five years. Their attorneys have not yet commented publicly on the indictment.
A status conference in the case is scheduled for August 20 before Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw, the same judge who dismissed the prior indictment against Norcross.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.