Former N.J. lawmaker has date with jail

PARAMUS, N.J., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A Nov.9 jail report date has been set for former New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Coniglio, convicted on federal corruption charges, officials said.

Coniglio, a Democrat from Paramus, will serve his sentence at the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pa., The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record reported Monday.

The newspaper said Coniglio, 66, was indicted last year on mail fraud and extortion charges. Prosecutors alleged he schemed to collect $100,000 in bribes disguised as consulting fees for directing state grants to Hackensack University Medical Center, Bergen County's largest hospital.

He was convicted by a jury in April on the extortion count and five of eight mail fraud counts. U.S. District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh last month ordered Coniglio to spend 30 months in prison and pay a $15,000 fine, The Record said.