Mercer Times

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, along with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), announced charges against a Newark code enforcement officer accused of soliciting bribes from a local business. Sonia Rogers, 50, was arrested on February 28, 2025, by OPIA detectives with assistance from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Rogers faces second-degree charges including official misconduct, bribery, theft by extortion, and soliciting or accepting any benefit to influence an official duty. These charges could result in a prison sentence of five to ten years and a fine up to $150,000.

The investigation by the OPIA Corruption Bureau revealed that Rogers allegedly ordered the closure of a retail store on Broad Street in Newark in September 2024. She is accused of threatening fines and demanding bribes for allowing the store to reopen after its municipal business license had expired.

Evidence suggests that Rogers requested an $800 cash bribe from store management to permit reopening before necessary inspections were completed. It is alleged she accepted store merchandise instead of cash as compensation.

Further allegations indicate Rogers offered to facilitate a fire inspection in exchange for compensation and returned multiple times through November 2024 seeking additional benefits, including attempts to take a television.

Attorney General Platkin stated: "My office will not take it lightly when public employees allegedly abuse the power of their positions for personal gain." Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA, emphasized that such actions damage public trust: "This case shows that corruption is not a victimless crime."

Deputy Attorney General Diana Bibb is prosecuting under supervision from Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Laura Croce and others within OPIA. The defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.

At this time, Sonia Rogers does not have legal representation.