By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark code enforcement officer has admitted to abusing her position by soliciting a bribe from a local business owner in exchange for allowing a store to reopen after it had been ordered closed, according to a statement released by New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Sonia Rogers, 51, of Newark, pleaded guilty on Friday, June 26, to one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit bribery during a hearing before Superior Court Judge Naazneen B. Khan in Essex County.
Under the terms of a plea agreement with OPIA, Rogers will permanently forfeit her public employment and be barred from holding any future public office or government job in New Jersey.
Prosecutors will recommend that she receive probation, along with a condition requiring her to serve up to 364 days in the county jail. Sentencing is scheduled for August 14.
According to investigators, Rogers entered a Newark business in September 2024 while on duty and ordered the store to close after determining its municipal business license had expired.
Authorities said she then told store management that she could allow the business to reopen and avoid fines if she received a cash payment.
Investigators determined that, under city regulations, the business should have remained closed until it passed a fire inspection and renewed its business license.
As part of her guilty plea, Rogers admitted that although she initially requested cash, she ultimately accepted store merchandise without paying in exchange for reopening the business and not issuing fines.
The case stemmed from a months-long investigation conducted by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
Rogers was arrested in February 2025 and later indicted by a state grand jury in August of that year.
Attorney General Davenport said public corruption erodes trust in government and vowed that her office would continue pursuing those who misuse their positions for personal gain.