Former South Jersey Transportation Authority Commissioner Matthew Milam is pushing back against his indictment on corruption charges, accusing Attorney General Matt Platkin of turning his office into a political weapon.
Milam and another ex-commissioner, Bryan Bush, were indicted last week by a state grand jury on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, and perjury. Prosecutors allege the two men retaliated against Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino by using their positions on the SJTA board to block payments to Cimino’s engineering firm.
Platkin alleges that Milam and Bush “abused their positions of power to get retribution,” and that “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.”
But Milam denies the allegations and says politics are at the center of the case.
“From day one, this has been a political spectacle,” Milam said. “Matt Platkin is a political hack who threw his fishing line and bobber into the deep sea to catch a whale. Now he has resorted to netting two minnows. I look forward to my day in court.”
The indictment stems from the 2023 Democratic primary for Mercer County Executive, when South Jersey Democrats quietly backed five-term incumbent Brian Hughes over Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-Hamilton). Cimino endorsed Benson despite appeals to stay neutral. Prosecutors claim that Milam and Bush, angered by Cimino’s decision, later voted three times against authorizing payments to Cimino’s firm.
According to the indictment, Milam texted Bush in February 2023: “They cut South Jersey in Mercer County, so now we vote no.” Both men are also charged with perjury, accused of lying under oath about why they opposed the payments.
Milam, a former Washington Township Democratic municipal chairman, insists the charges are politically motivated and that Platkin is overreaching.
“This is an attempt to smear the reputations of myself and Bryan Bush,” Milam said. “We are his settle plan since he was embarrassed in his attempt to get the big political folks. Again, I maintain my innocence and look forward to making sure that we hold that office to a higher standard than the current political witch hunts that are happening.”
He added that Platkin has “politicized his office and tasked his staff of good attorneys to go after political nemesis,” and predicted the case would backfire.
“Unfortunately for Matt the public and voters will find out exactly how politically motivated all of his actions are and have been,” stated Milam.
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