A New Jersey defense attorney and former federal prosecutor was charged yesterday with arranging the killing of one witness and trying to hire a hit man to kill another.
Paul Bergrin, 53, is accused of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in a 14-count federal indictment. Four others also are named in the indictment.
The others face charges including racketeering, wire fraud and conspiracy in what prosecutors characterized as a criminal enterprise that also engaged in witness tampering, money laundering and drug trafficking.
Prosecutors say Bergrin gave the name of a federal informant to associates of a suspect Bergrin was defending in a drug case.
The informant, known by the nickname Kemo, was shot three times on a Newark street in 2004 by one of the associates, according to the indictment.