New Jersey has never been short of corruption scandals, but the one unfolded yesterday was surprising even by the standards of the state that inspired “The Sopranos”.
新泽西州从来不缺少腐败丑闻，但昨天曝出的这起丑闻比起以 往的任何一粧都令人惊讶，被戏称为“超高音乐器”。
Federal agents swept across New Jersey and New York on 23rd July, 2009, charging 44 people— including mayors, rabbis, and even one alleged trafficker in human kidneys—in a decade long investigation into public corruption and international money-laundering.
2009年7月23日，美国联邦特工出击新泽西和纽约各地，在一次 为期10年的政府腐败和国际洗钱案调查中起诉了 44人,这其中包括 数位市长、犹太教教士,甚至还有一名涉嫌贩卖人体肾脏的人。
The key to the investigation: a real estate developer became an informant after being arrested on bank-fraud charges in 2006，according to a person familiar with the case. The developer, Solomon Dwek, wore a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation while offering to bribe New Jersey mayors and other public officials, that person said.
这起调查案的线索是:据一位知情人士透露，一名地产开发商 在2006年因为银行诈骗指控被捕后，提供了诸多信息。该人士透露， 这名开发商德鲁克在向新泽西市长和其他公共官员行贿的时候，身 上带有联邦调查局(FBI)提供的录音设备。
A lawyer for Mr. Dwek didn’t respond to requests for comment.
德鲁克的律师没有回复记者的置评要求。
The arrests in the public-corruption portion of the probe included the Democratic mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, Cammarano and Elwell; Republican state Assemblyman Pelt; and Democrat Beldini, the deputy mayor of Jersey City.
在调查的政府腐败案部分，被捕的人员包括了两位民主党市 长，他们分别是:霍博肯市市长卡马拉诺和锡考克斯市市长埃尔维 尔;共和党州议员佩尔特:泽西市副市长、民主党人贝尔蒂尼。
A woman who picked up the phone at Mr. Van Pelt’s office said, 4tMr. Van Pelt was arrested today and is out of the office.” His lawyer declined to comment.
记者致电佩尔特办公室,一位接电话的女士表示:“佩尔特今日 被捕，现在已不在办公室。”佩尔特的律师拒绝置评。
Mr. Cammarano，s lawyer said he “intends to plead innocent because he is innocent,”
卡马拉诺的律师表示，卡马拉诺“计划申诉无罪，因为他是无辜的' 贝尔蒂尼在传讯中表示，她没有辜负纳税人的信任，并在离开 法院时拒绝进一步置评。埃尔维尔和他的律师均拒绝置评。
At the arraignment, Ms. Beldini said she didn’t violate taxpayers’ trust and declined to comment further while leaving the courthouse. Mr. El well and his lawyer declined to comment.
据美国新泽西州代理检察官马拉表示，在洗钱案部分，被捕的 人员包括纽约和新泽西的几位犹太教教士。被捕人员周四下午在新 泽西州一家联邦法庭接受了传讯。
Arrests on the investigation’s money-laundering side include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey, said Ralph Marra Jr., acting US attorney for New Jersey. The arrestees were arraigned in federal court in New Jersey Thursday afternoon.
这与去年伊利诺斯州州长贪污丑闻相似。
This is similar to the corruption scandal of Illinois Governor last year.
在政治形势变化扑朔迷离的伊利诺斯，州长布拉戈杰维奇在自己家被联邦特工逮捕。布拉戈杰 维奇被指控试图出售奥巴马当选后留下来的参议员席位，而且他和一个高级助理还面临着其他的腐 败起诉。
In a stunning turn of events in Illinois politics, federal agents arrested Governor Rod Blagojevich in his home. He tried to profit from his power to appoint someone to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat. Governor Rod Blagojevich and a top aide also face other corruption charges.
美国检察官菲茨杰拉德表示，调查员巳经介人来解决这个他称为“疯狂罪案”的出售参议员席 位的丑闻。他说在投诉档案里记录的最令人震惊的是布拉戈杰维奇州长出售他代替奥巴马享有 任命专权的伊利诺伊州参议员席位。”
US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says investigators stepped in to end what he characterized as a corruption “crime spree” that included charges of trying to profit from the filling of President-elect Obama’s US Senate seat. “The most appalling conduct Governor Blagojevich engaged in according to the complaint filed today is that he attempted to sell a Senate seat, a Senate seat he had had the sole right under Illinois to appoint to replace President-elect Obama,M he said.
菲茨杰拉德说，调査员截获了暗示布拉戈杰维奇腐败行为的电话并进行了录音。布拉戈杰维奇 对他的腐败行为表示否认。其在被捕前一天回应记者的问题时表示他的谈话被录音。
Fitzgerald said investigators intercepted phone calls and recorded conversations that directly implicated Blagojevich’s corruption. Blagojevich has denied wrongdoing. The day before he was arrested, Blagojevich responded to reporter’s questions that his conversations were being recorded.
他说：“我的生活里就不能有点阳光了吗？如果有人想要录我的通话的话，随便,大胆做就好了。” 他扣留出卖瑞格里球场所得的国家资金也是导致他的政府被指责以及个人被弹劾的重要原因。
“Ain’t nothing but sunshine in my life?” he said. “I should say if anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it.”
His withholding of state funds in the sale of the Wrigley Field baseball park is critical of Blago-jevich’s administration and called for his impeachment.