Developer copped a plea, but his apartments will go up anyway

NEWARK -- The city will forge ahead with plans to develop a $10 million mixed-use apartment complex in the South Ward even after the project's developer pleaded guilty to tax evasion and wire fraud charges related to a nonprofit he directed.

Kiburi Tucker, 43, admitted in federal court Monday he underreported his income and defrauded The Centre, Inc., a nonprofit he ran, of more than $330,000 -- using much of the money for gambling and personal expenses.

Tucker is developing the 42-unit Tucker View apartments in the Weequahic section of Newark. The project was widely praised by city officials and longtime friend Mayor Ras Baraka as a marker of growth outside Newark's downtown epicenter.

"The Tucker View apartments development has been five years in the making and Kiburi Tucker's tax issues do not seem to affect the project," city spokesman Frank Baraff told NJ Advance Media. "To the extent that they might, we will adjust accordingly."

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