Scarpelli sent to federal prison in nearby Ft. Dix Former mayor will most likely serve almost all of sentence BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer Former longtime Brick Democratic Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli turned himself in to federal authorities Monday to begin serving his 18-month sentence on corruption charges. Joseph Scarpelli Michael T. Nolan Jr., Scarpelli's attorney, said he and his client were grateful that the federal Bureau of Prisons officials had allowed him to be placed at the minimum-security facility at Fort Dix, rather than out of state. "At least he's going to be in state, which is what we were very concerned about," said Nolan, of the Brick-based firm of Kelly, Nolan & White. "Obviously, we wanted to make sure he would be in a place where his family could readily go and see him," Nolan said. "Fort Dix is about 30 miles away. It's not terribly far." U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton said at Scarpelli's Dec. 17 sentencing at the Newark federal courthouse that she would recommend the former mayor be allowed to serve his time in New Jersey. Chances are, Scarpelli will serve almost all of the 18 months, since parole has been abolished in the federal system, Nolan said. "I don't know exactly how much time he is going to do," he said. "I do believe he will earn credits for good behavior. I don't know if he will do a full 18 months, but he will do fairly close to it." Wigenton sentenced Scarpelli to 18 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine on Dec. 17. Scarpelli pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, 2007, to one count of accepting and agreeing to accept cash payments in exchange for official action. He admitted he took at least $5,000 in bribes from an unnamed developer between 1998 and 2003. Authorities have not released the developer's name. Scarpelli's attitude before he turned himself in was one of "acceptance," Nolan said. "Obviously it's a sad day for him, because he will be away from his family for a long time," he said. "I think he's resigned to the fact that he has to do his time." Republican Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis said the former mayor's incarceration is "the end of a long road." "I just hope this kind of puts to rest a lot of the trepidation that people have about our town," he said. "It's the next step in the process. Hopefully, he'll get through this with his family." The Fort Dix facility is a low-security prison that houses male inmates. A satellite camp is located next to the prison and houses minimum-security male inmates. It's located 30 miles from the Jersey Shore, according to the BOP's Web site. Scarpelli was allowed to turn himself in Monday morning, Nolan said. "We're talking about non-violent offenders," he said. "The federal and state systems are very different. In the state system, you go the day you are sentenced." The federal system considers an inmate a low security risk, providing he or she has no prior record, Nolan said. "I think they give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to put your affairs in order and report at a date set by the court," he said. "I had to ask for self-reporting. That's not an automatic guarantee." Scarpelli had been free on $50,000 bail since his sentencing date last December. He could have received up to 30 months in prison, Nolan has said. The former mayor didn't know until late last Friday afternoon where he was going, Nolan said. "The issue didn't resolve itself until after 3 p.m.," he said. "There was going to be a stay, pending placement by the Bureau of Prisons. They had not as of Friday morning determined where he was going."