What was said that day in January 2001 has remained locked up in an evidence vault in the Division of Criminal Justice's office in Cherry Hill. But with the investigation now over, a state Superior Court judge has ordered that tape and dozens of others released - barring an expected appeal by the state attorney general.
"Norcross talked for almost an hour and half," Gural said in a recent interview. "He talks about how he could influence judicial appointments in New Jersey. He talks about how he wanted to deal with some of his political opponents. And he talked about how he wanted to eliminate the 'fringe elements' in Burlington County Democratic politics.
"But most of all, he talked about how powerful he was and how much influence he had" with Jim McGreevey, the soon-to-be governor, Gural said.
A state bid to keep the tapes secret was rejected last week by Judge John A. Sweeney. He ordered them released to Ted Rosenberg, a whistle-blower who sued for their release.
The state promptly filed a motion to bar the release before a March 21 deadline but withdrew it late yesterday. Officials at the Attorney General's Office said yesterday that they had the right to renew the motion but declined to discuss what legal action was planned.
In all, 330 hours of conversations are at issue. Some were in the offices of JCA Associates Inc., the Moorestown engineering company where Gural worked as a project manager. Others were with now-Superior Court Judge John Harrington; there are three tapes with Lou Gallagher Jr., then chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Party, and one with Alice Furia, the party's vice chair.
Rosenberg and Gural have said the tapes - especially the one with Norcross - offer a rare inside look at power politics and could embarrass some political figures.
