Between 2019 and 2021, then-Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) Executive Chairman Adrian Gibson allegedly used over $133,000 derived from WSC contracts to purchase a fleet of used Japanese and sports vehicles, according to police investigating his corruption case.
On July 13, 2021, Jerome Missick allegedly obtained a $6,470 gold 2012 Toyota Previa, a $21,770 silver 2012 Toyota Hiace Commuter, a $9,310 blue 2014 Mazda Biante station wagon and a $6,360 Black 2012 Toyota Previa from used Japanese car dealership Beforward and transferred them to Gibson.
It was the latest in a string of vehicles allegedly transferred to the Long Island MP during a two-year period.
On January 13, 2021, Tanya Demeritte, 43, allegedly transferred a $7,300 2014 Kia Cerato that she obtained from Hertz/Sidmac Car Rental to Aaron’s Car Rental in Gibson’s constituency of Long Island.
A 2015 Kia Cerato, valued at $7,600, was also obtained from Hertz/Sidmac on that date.
Missick, a 54-year-old barber, and Demeritte, a parking attendant, face multiple counts of money laundering charges.
Prosecutors also allege that money from the bank accounts of Elite Maintenance and Baha Maintenance and Restoration - two companies that received lucrative Water and Sewerage contracts - was used to buy a $8,460 red 2011 Kia Sportage, a $8,850 white 2011 Kia Sportage and a $6,470 purple 2011 Toyota Previa from BeForward.jp on March 7, 2021 as well as a $8,250 brown 2011 Kia Sportage on March 13, 2021.
On July 11, 2020, money believed to be the proceeds of crime was used to purchase a $10, 790 white 2018 truck.
Between August and October, 2019, money from the two companies’ bank accounts was used to purchase a $4,666.95 Challenger 150x, a $3,199.95 Blade 150 149cc and a $1,579.90 Bull 200 169cc from Power Sports Max.
Funds from the Baha Maintenance and Elite Maintenance bank accounts were also allegedly dipped into to buy a $5,500 red 2011 Chevrolet Orlando on July 29, 2019 in addition to a $7,850 2010 white Kia Sportage on August 1, 2019.
Police on Long Island seized the vehicles weeks before Gibson was charged in the Magistrates Court on 56 counts of corruption charges.
Investigators believe he obtained over a million dollars from the award of WSC contracts issued to certain companies and that a good chunk of those illegally obtained funds was used to buy vehicles, a house and property on New Providence and Long Island.
Six others, including Gibson’s cousin Rashae Gibson and election campaign general Joan Knowles, were also charged.