A judge has removed Trenton Mayor Tony Mack from office, 19 days after a jury convicted him of corruption.

 

City Council President George Muschal takes the oath of office as Trenton's acting mayor
City Council President George Muschal takes the oath of office as Trenton's acting mayor (Brian McCarthy, On Scene News)
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City Council President George Muschal was sworn in as acting mayor later on Wednesday.

Mack had fought in court to remain in office until he is sentenced to prison. That's scheduled for May, though Mack is also asking for the conviction to be thrown out.

Judge Mary Jacobson on Wednesday rejected his arguments and signed an order removing him from office.

Mack is also ineligible to hold public office in the future and has been stripped of his taxpayer-funded pension.

Muschal will begin his tenure with a meeting with the cabinet on Thursday.

He looks forward to working with Governor Christie (R), who along with many political leaders did not want to deal with Mack. He is "sorry about the way (the Mack administration) conducted itself" and to discussing how to move New Jersey's capital city forward "with honesty and integrity."

Muschal says he will not run in an election to elect a permanent mayor.

Mack was convicted this month of bribery, fraud and extortion in a government sting operation involving a bogus downtown land development deal.

The mayor's brother also was convicted by a federal jury.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

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