Former Freeholder Braker dies

JERSEY CITY – Made famous for jokingly asking for Viagra as part of a bribe payment, former Freeholder William Braker was found dead in his home on Dec. 21.
Braker, 71, a former police officer, served five terms a freeholder before resigning in 2004 after being charged with accepting bribes.
Braker was part of a corruption scandal that involved former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski, and was targeted as a result of Janiszewski plea deal to reduce his own sentence for corruption.
Braker’s attempt to unveil a wider net of corruption failed when a court refused to allow him to use federally protected recordings in his defense.
Braker eventually pleaded guilty to one charge of extortion, for which he was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Years after his release, he was elected as the head of the local chapter of the NAACP, but declined to seek reelection after a tape surfaced showing him in an alleged intoxicated state.
As a cop and freeholder, Braker was well-respected, but most believe that his dedication to the Janiszewski administration brought about his downfall.