South Jersey trucking firm omitted criminal violation in application for $79 million tax break

South Jersey trucking firm omitted criminal violation in application for $79 million tax break, labor union says


A trucking and logistics company that won approval for $79 million in New Jersey tax breaks failed to disclose criminal and civil proceedings in its application for the state award, according to a letter sent Thursday by the Teamsters labor union to the New Jersey attorney general and the Economic Development Authority.

The company, NFI, applied in 2016 for the EDA’s tax-credit program – which is now the subject of multiple investigations – to help build an office tower on the Camden waterfront. The application asks the company to certify whether the company or its affiliates have been found guilty of criminal violations, and NFI said no in its sworn response.

But in 2005, an affiliate of the company – Interactive Logistics Inc. – pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden to three counts of wire fraud, according to the letter. Under the plea, the company agreed to pay an $850,000 fine and restitution to the beer-maker Anheuser-Busch, the client it defrauded of about $225,000, court records show.

“While we are confident in the veracity of our application, we take all accusations seriously,” NFI spokesperson T.J. Lynch said. “We are in the process of investigating the allegations that have been made by the Teamsters.”

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/business/nfi-teamsters-nj-tax-credit-investigation-camden-20190613.html