Court records show Sixers co-owner Josh Harris was questioned by the FBI last year in connection with New Jersey prosecutors’ criminal case against Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III.
Harris, billionaire private equity executive and founder Harris Blitzer Sports and EntertainmentAccording to the files, he met with investigators on May 6. The documents don’t say why agents wanted to talk to Harris or what they talked about. He has not been charged with a crime, and authorities say they have interviewed dozens of people as part of the investigation.
Part of the prosecutor’s case against Norcross centers on New Jersey lawmakers’ passage of economic development legislation in 2013 that increased tax incentives for companies that invested in Camden. The 76ers were one of several companies to take advantage of the program, building a training facility in the city.
Harris, 60, is the managing partner of the NFL’s 76ers and the Washington Commanders, as well as the managing partner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
He joins a group of high-profile business, political and labor leaders in the Philadelphia region who investigators interviewed, worked on projects underlying the case or were otherwise connected to the multi-year Norcross investigation, including developer Carl Dranoff, real estate executive William P. Hankowsky, investor Ira Lubert and former electrician union leader John J. Dougherty.
» READ MORE: Newly Released FBI Wiretap Documents Reveal Insights into George Norcross and John Dougherty’s Relationship
A spokesman for Harris Blitzer declined to comment.
In June, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin filed 13 indictments against Norcross and five associates, accusing them of using threats of economic and reputational harm – as well as political control over government agencies – to acquire valuable waterfront property in Camden and millions of people dollars in tax breaks.
Norcross, an insurance executive, and his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering and extortion. They asked the judge to dismiss the charges, arguing that the charges described in the indictment did not constitute a crime.
Harris’ name was included on a list of people interviewed by the FBI included in a Dec. 27 defense motion asking a judge to order the Attorney General’s Office to release certain documents. Court records show that in addition to Harris, FBI agents interviewed a real estate developer who worked at the 76ers’ training facility in Camden.
The release of Harris’ FBI interview comes at a politically sensitive time for the Sixers. This week, the team reversed course on its plans to build an arena in Center City, opting instead to stay in South Philadelphia and build a fresh arena there in partnership with a Comcast subsidiary. Harris appeared with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and other officials at a news conference Monday to discuss the fresh plan.
The announcement came just weeks after the City Council voted to approve a controversial $1.3 billion arena proposal in Center City — even as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tried to lure the 76ers to Camden with the promise of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits.
Prosecutors say Norcross led a criminal enterprise made up of government officials, entrepreneurs and lawyers. One of the organization’s goals was to influence the New Jersey Legislature to pass economic development legislation in 2013 “in a way that significantly increased the amount of tax credits awarded to projects in Camden and was tailored to the interests” of Norcross and his friends, – says the indictment.
The 76ers were one of many companies to benefit from the legislation, known as the Economic Opportunity Act. In 2014, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded the team $82 million in tax credits over 10 years to build a fresh training facility and headquarters in Camden.
As with other projects in Camden, this meant that for every dollar the team invested in the facility, it could later recoup the same amount in tax credits as long as it met conditions, such as employing a certain number of people there.
In talks with the Economic Development Authority, the team was represented by the law firm Parker McCay, whose CEO is George Norcross’s brother, Philip, now a co-defendant in the racketeering case.
Philip Norcross’s attorneys wrote in an October court filing that their client’s involvement in influencing legislation is protected by the constitutional right to petition the government. “The State’s attempt to transform its constitutionally protected petitioning conduct into a RICO criminal enterprise should be summarily rejected,” wrote Kevin H. Marino, John D. Tortorella and Erez J. Davy.
Prosecutors say the Norcross brothers’ involvement in shaping the Economic Opportunity Act was not itself a criminal act. “Philip Norcross’s (and George Norcross’s) influence over the Legislature simply provides the backdrop for the political power and goals of an Enterprise that, like virtually every RICO enterprise, engages in both lawful and unlawful activity,” Michael prosecutors D. Grillo and, wrote Adam D. Klein in a November court filing.
