Hackett served in the Assembly on the State Government Committee (as Chair), the Appropriations Committee and the Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee.[1]
Hackett was arrested by the FBI on September 6, 2007, in a Federal corruption probe that also included the arrests of Assemblymen Alfred E. Steele and Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera.[3] The indictment alleges that Hackett accepted $5,000 in bribes for his efforts to steer insurance business from the City of Orange, with an additional $25,000 to be accepted if the firm received the insurance business it sought.[4] On September 7, 2007, Governor of New JerseyJon Corzine called on both Hackett and Steele to resign from their seats in the New Jersey Legislature.[5]
Hackett submitted his letter of resignation from his Assembly seat on September 10, 2007; Steele followed with a resignation submitted that same day.[6] In resigning before September 17, 2007, the Democratic Party was able to put an alternate on the November ballot in lieu of Hackett.[7] He resigned as mayor of Orange on May 27, 2008.[8]
Hackett was convicted on a charge of falsifying expense receipts and was sentenced to a five-year prison term beginning in January 2009. In December of that year, he was accepted into a state early-release program and was allowed to return home.[9]
^Baldwin, Tom. "11 arrested in N.J. corruption probe", USA Today, September 6, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Among the arrested were state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Rev. Alfred Steele aides in their legislative offices acknowledged. Also reportedly arrested was Samuel Rivera, the mayor of Passaic, and Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark City Council President Mildred Crump."
^Reitmeyer, John. "Corzine: Steele, Hackett should step down", The Record, September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007. "Governor Corzine and fellow top Democrats urged two North Jersey legislators to resign by the end of the weekend, after the pair was arrested as part of a sweeping corruption investigation."
^Rispoli, Michael. "Two legislators quit over arrests", Courier-Post, September 11, 2007. Accessed September 12, 2007. "The resignations of Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., D-Essex, who is also mayor of Orange, was received Monday afternoon by the Assembly clerk.... The letter from Assemblyman Alfred Steele, D-Passaic, was received later in the afternoon."
