A defiant Jose "Joey" Torres, serving as the Democratic mayor of Paterson under a cloud of suspicion and several state and federal investigations, proclaimed his innocence and vowed to fight the charges.
But at a press conference held after the indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said evidence showed Torres "treated city workers like his personal handymen" and "city dollars as if they were his own."
The attorney general said the charges were part of an "ongoing" investigation into improper use of city employees and overtime pay in Paterson, a beleaguered city with a long history of public corruption.
Authorities also charged two DPW supervisors -- Joseph Mania, 51, of Randolph, and Imad Mowaswes, 52, of Clifton -- as well as assistant supervisor Timothy Hanlon, 30, of Woodland Park.
