By Janet Frankston Lorin
Associated Press
Friday, July 13, 2007; A02

NEWARK, July 12 -- A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted former Newark mayor Sharpe James on corruption charges involving land sales and the extravagant use of city-issued credit cards for himself and several women.

The 33-count indictment charges James with fraud for allegedly facilitating and approving the cut-rate sales of city-owned land to a female companion.

It also charges James, 71, with using city-issued credit cards for himself and eight women during trips to destinations including Rio de Janeiro, Puerto Rico and Martha's Vineyard, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie and state Attorney General Anne Milgram announced.

Minutes after the indictment was announced, James was seen walking into the FBI headquarters in Newark, where he was expected to turn himself in. The woman accused of buying the bargain-priced city land, Tamika Riley, was expected to appear in court with him. Riley, 38, is a publicist and former clothing store operator in Newark.

Ethical questions have long surrounded James, who has a home on the Jersey shore, a yacht and a Rolls-Royce. He has been a state senator since 1999, while also serving as Newark's mayor until last year, when he decided not to seek reelection.

"This indictment is about as surprising as the sun rising in the morning," said Tom Wilson, the New Jersey Republican State Committee chairman.

The former mayor, a Democrat, has said little publicly since federal investigators notified him that he was the target of a corruption probe last month.

In a handwritten letter to the Associated Press, dated June 16, James said he never had the power to broker land deals or set prices by himself.

"No, no, no, the mayor is not a boss or a lord or can give away municipal land," he wrote.

James served as the mayor of New Jersey's largest city for 20 years before announcing last year he would not seek reelection. He announced in April that he also would not seek another term in the Senate after his current term expires in January.

James first joined the Newark City Council in 1970. His election in 1986 made him the city's second black mayor.