TRENTON — PSE&G isn't the only collector that's come calling for Mayor Tony Mack.

One day after the utility shut off power and gas at Mack’s Berkeley Avenue house due to nonpayment, a review of public records reveals Mack owes more than $50,000 to the IRS and has two properties currently in foreclosure.

Told about the Mack’s latest financial woes, friend and ally Councilman Alex Bethea winced.

“My friend ... I am speechless,” he said. “I don’t have a comment on that. I am taken aback.”

Lenders filed a foreclosure notice on one property, the 302 West State Street building owned by Mack’s company, Foremost Development and Construction LLC, on July 16, just two days before FBI agents searched Mack’s home in an early morning raid.

Over the past two weeks, FBI agents have seized evidence from several properties and City Hall in a search for evidence of bribery, extortion, fraud, money laundering and drug dealing linked to the Mack administration and associates like Joseph “JoJo” Giorgianni, a campaign contributor.

Mack maintains he is cooperating with the investigation and has not “violated the public trust.”

The first-term mayor has long struggled under a heavy debt load, owing hundreds of thousands of dollars on mortgages and overdue city tax and sewer payments over the past several years. He’s defaulted on mortgages several times, with a former property on Sweets Avenue foreclosed upon twice.

His Berkeley Avenue home, where he lives with his wife and four children, has faced foreclosure three times, most recently in August 2010. At the time, the $319,457 owed on the property far exceeded its estimated value.

In interviews, Mack has acknowledged his shaky finances, explaining the cycles of foreclosure and late taxes stemmed from years of sporadic employment.

“This is my third or fourth foreclosure over the last seven years, since I lost my job in 2004,” he said in 2010 after news of the latest foreclosure surfaced. “I’ve been struggling to keep the things that we own, things I worked hard for.”

The Times called Mack for comment several times yesterday, with no answer. The voicemail for his cell phone was full.

Most of Mack’s past foreclosures and debts — including $34,800 in back taxes and fees for a fire-damaged property at 29 Hampton Avenue — piled up after Mack lost his $80,000 job as the city’s recycling coordinator in 2004. A short stint as a business administrator for the Barrington school district in South Jersey ended in late 2008 with a contract buyout.

Photos: FBI search Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's house 27 Gallery: Photos: FBI search Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's house

Elected in 2010, Mack now makes $126,400 annually as mayor.

But even with the regular paycheck, his financial troubles have continued to mount over the past several months.

The IRS filed a federal tax lien against Mack and wife Kara on May 31, alleging they owe $50,576 in federal income taxes dating back to 2009. Kara Mack cares for the couple’s young children and does not work outside the home.

IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder said the agency cannot legally disclose personal tax information and could not comment on whether any of the back taxes have been repaid.

The IRS will publish a tax lien release if debts are paid or released by bond, but a search of county records showed no federal release certificate for Mack.

Mack is not the only local elected official to get into hot water with the IRS.

Court documents reveal Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, who’s currently awaiting trial on charges of extortion and money laundering related to a $12,400 bribe he’s alleged to have taken from an insurance broker, told the broker in a recorded conversation that the IRS sent him a letter stating he owed $5,200 in income taxes.

County records show no tax liens filed against Bencivengo.

On March 6, five months before the IRS filed its warning, Wells Fargo sent a foreclosure notice for the 245 Tioga Street property owned by Mack and his wife.

Mayor Tony Mack's State of Trenton 03/21/2012 13 Gallery: Mayor Tony Mack's State of Trenton 03/21/2012

The Tioga Street property is currently assessed at $40,200, but records show the Macks took several mortgages out on the property with an original total value of $181,500, though Mack has denied the home carries so much debt. A $48,000 mortgage taken out on the house in 2003 originally carried an initial interest rate of 9.9 percent, nearly double the average rates at the time.

Mack entered into another $20,600 mortgage in April 2010 with Lena Brolo, a Burlington County woman named a defendant in the Tioga foreclosure filing. Days after entering into the mortgage agreement, Mack raised eyebrows by loaning his mayoral campaign $20,000. State campaign finance rules require loans from outside parties be reported and loans are not allowed to exceed the $2,600 campaign contribution limit for individuals.

Brolo could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Brolo’s ex-husband Randy said he has no idea if Mack ever paid back the $20,000 loan.

“If he’s not paying his PSE&G bill, why is he going to pay that?” he said.

In 2010, a judge in their alimony case asked Lena Brolo to account for all her income, but she never answered, he said.

“The judge had ordered her, but she disobeyed,” Randy Brolo said.

Just two weeks ago, Mack was hit with yet another foreclosure notice from TD Bank, this one for the West State Street property owned under the Foremost name. A spokeswoman for TD Bank said she too could not reveal any details about the status of the foreclosure or the mortgage, a seven-year, $85,500 agreement entered into in 2003 with Commerce Bank.

In 2012, city taxes on the three properties in Mack’s name will top $12,500. Several recent payments for the Hampton Street property have been late, according to city tax records.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Mack appeared confident and well-rested. But Bethea said the last few weeks have weighed heavily on the mayor.

On Wednesday, the councilman met with Mack at the Marriott downtown. He said he wanted to discuss the mayor’s state of mind and give him support.

"I don't turn my back on my friends," Bethea said. "My heart goes out to him."

Mack said he was fine, but admitted the FBI raid and public scrutiny had been "devastating" for his family.

“He said, ‘I’m innocent,’” Bethea said.

At the end of the meeting, Bethea suggested he and the mayor pray. The two knelt their heads, closed their eyes, and Bethea spoke.

“Father God, give Mack the strength that he needs during these trying times,” he said.

Staff writer Alex Zdan contributed to this report

Complete coverage of the Trenton Mayor Tony Mack investigation:

• PSE&G turns off electricity at Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's house

• Subpoena in FBI probe of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's administration requires documents by next week for grand jury

• Trenton FBI search target says ex-lawyer gave him cash while seeking access to Mayor Tony Mack

• FBI subpoenas Trenton City Hall departments as Mayor Tony Mack administration probe widens

• Ghost garage project in Trenton among targets of FBI searches of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack administration

• Warrant reveals scope of FBI probe of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's administration

• FBI probe of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack administration is linked to owner of junk car business



• Editorial: As FBI swarms, Trenton Mayor Tony Mack disappears and should stay away

• FBI completes Trenton City Hall search in Mayor Tony Mack investigation

• FBI agents expand Trenton Mayor Tony Mack investigation to Trenton City Hall

• Trenton Mayor Tony Mack federal probe: FBI raids homes of mayor, brother, supporter

• A timeline of Mayor Tony Mack's two years in office

• Times of Trenton editorial: FBI raid of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's home caps two years of troubled administration

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