Joseph A. Maressa Sr. (October 17, 1923 – October 30, 2012) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who was elected to serve three terms in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

, representing Legislative District 3B for his first two years and the 4th Legislative District for the remainder of his service in elected office. First elected to office in 1972, Maressa decided against running for office for a fourth term in 1982 after accepting a bribe to aid an Arab sheikh from an undercover FBI agent acting as part of the

Abscam Abscam, sometimes written ABSCAM, was a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members from both chambers of the United States Congress and others for bribery and co ...

sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a rol ...

, though Maressa claimed that he had accepted the $10,000 as part of his patriotic efforts as an American to bring oil money back to the United States.

Personal life

Born in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, on October 17, 1923, Maressa was one of eight children born to parents who had emigrated to the United States from

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. He graduated from Camden High School in 1942 and enlisted with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with which he served in the Pacific Theater of Operations on deep sea mine disposal and was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

in 1947. Unsuccessful in his aspirations to become an agent with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, Maressa became a trooper with the

New Jersey State Police The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors. History The legislation for the creation o ...

. In 1952, Maressa received his law degree from Rutgers School of Law–Camden, having attended night school. He began the practice of law in

Berlin, New Jersey Berlin is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,489, a decrease of 99 (−1.3%) from the 2010 United Sta ...

, with a specialization in local government law, working for municipalities and local boards of education.Tinnery, Kathleen
"Joseph A. Maressa, 89, former state Senator"
, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', November 1, 2012. Accessed September 26, 2016. During a 35-year span in which he served on the board of trustees and board and directors of the Kennedy Health System and Kennedy University Hospitals, Maressa played a pivotal role in the hospital's expansion through its acquisition of hospitals in

Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...

and the Turnersville section of Washington Township, earning recognition for his efforts by both the American Osteopathic Healthcare Association and the New Jersey Hospital Association. A resident of the

Atco Atco or ATCO may refer to: Businesses * ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies ** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company * Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing com ...

neighborhood of

Waterford Township, New Jersey Waterford Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 10,421, a decrease of 228 (−2.1%) from the 2010 census count of 10,649, which in turn re ...

, Maressa died at the age of 89 on October 30, 2012, at Virtua West Jersey Hospital in Berlin.

Public service

In the 1971 general election, Maressa was elected to represent District 3B of the New Jersey Senate, one of four representatives from the 3rd Legislative District, which was further divided into four subdistricts (Districts 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D); District 3B included portions of Camden and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

counties.New Jersey Senate and Assembly Districts, 1972-1973
,

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor of New Jersey, Governor, New Jersey Legislature, Legislature and Judiciary of New Jersey, Judiciary. The S ...

. Accessed September 26, 2016. "Assembly District 3B - The following municipalities in Gloucester County: Clayton Township, Deptford Township, Elk Township, Glassboro Borough, Mantua Township, Wenonah Borough and Woodbury Heights Borough; and that part of Camden County not included in Assembly District 3C and Assembly District 3D."Results of the General Election Held on November 2, 1971
,

Secretary of State of New Jersey The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed September 26, 2016. Upon the creation of a 40-district legislative map in 1973 in response to the one-man-one-vote system mandated by the 1964

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decision in ''

Reynolds v. Sims ''Reynolds v. Sims'', 377 U.S. 533 (1964), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the single-seat electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. Along with '' Bak ...

'', the new 4th Legislative District consisted of portions of

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the South Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

, Camden County and Gloucester County.New Jersey Legislative Districts 1974–
,

. Accessed September 18, 2016. Maressa was elected to the new district in the 1973 general election representing the 4th District, and was re-elected in 1977.Results of the General Election Held November 6, 1973
,

. Accessed September 22, 2016.Results of the General Election Held November 8, 1977
,

. Accessed September 22, 2016. Maressa took greatest pride in the passage of legislation that established the

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) was a state-run health sciences institution with six locations in New Jersey. It was founded as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1954, and by the 1980s was both a ...

's School of Osteopathic Medicine (renamed in 2013 as the

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine The Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (also known as Rowan-Virtua SOM or SOM) is a public medical school located in Stratford, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1976, Rowan-Virtua SOM is one of two medical schools associat ...

), established in 1976 and located on a campus in

Stratford, New Jersey Stratford is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,981, a decrease of 59 (−0.8%) from the 2010 census count of 7,040, which in turn reflected a decli ...

. Maressa felt that he was filling a vital need for a medical school that would serve

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. In the Senate, Maressa served on the Judiciary Committee and was Majority Whip. With Burlington County removed from the 4th District and portions of

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,1980 United States census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was the first ce ...

, Maressa decided against running for re-election and was succeeded by Daniel Dalton, who defeated Kenneth A. Gewertz in the June Democratic Party primary and went on to win the November 1981 general election, defeating Republican Frank B. Smith by a 63%-37% margin.Candidates for the Offices of State Senate and General Assembly - 1981 Primary
,

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

Division of Elections. Accessed September 26, 2016.Candidates for the Offices of State Senate and General Assembly - 1981
,

Division of Elections. Accessed September 26, 2016.

Abscam

In 1980, Maressa accepted $10,000 from a group of FBI agents who were part of the

undercover operation. The money was given to Maressa to obtain his support on behalf of a fictitious Arab sheikh in exchange for Maressa's efforts to get legislative support to obtain a gambling license for a casino in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

. Maressa justified accepting what he described as legal fees, saying that "I felt like it would be patriotic to take some of this OPEC oil money and get it back to the United States".Morehouse III, Ward
Abscam' fallout: Atlantic City casinos"
''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

'', February 6, 1980. Accessed September 26, 2016. "Mr. Maressa has admitted to several newspapers that he received $10,000 in 'legal fees' from FBI undercover agents acting in behalf of a nonexistent Arab businessman seeking help in obtaining a casino license". The New York Daily News Feb 5 quoted Mr. Maressa as saying, 'the Arabian Nights portrait these two agents painted was such that I felt like it would be patriotic to take some of this OPEC oil money and get it back to the United States. Maressa wasn't prosecuted for his actions.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maressa, Joseph A. 1923 births 2012 deaths Abscam Lawyers from Camden County, New Jersey Democratic Party New Jersey state senators People from Waterford Township, New Jersey Politicians from Camden, New Jersey Rutgers School of Law–Camden alumni Temple University alumni 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Military personnel from Camden County, New Jersey 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature