Robert Schroeder (born February 16, 1960) is an American businessman and
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
politician who served in the
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
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Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
from 2010 to 2014, where he represented the
39th Legislative District, having taken the seat of retiring incumbent
John E. Rooney.
Background
Schroeder was raised in
Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey
Washington Township, officially the Township of Washington, is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,285, an increase of 183 (+2.0%) of the 2010 census coun ...
, where he was active in the local volunteer fire department starting as a teenager. He graduated from
Westwood Regional High School
Westwood Regional High School (formerly Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School) is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Borough of Westwood and the Township of Washing ...
in 1978; in 1982, he graduated from
Farleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
. Schroeder founded a company called All Points International Distributors, which supports international relief efforts by the United States government, the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
Political career
Since 1991, Schroeder has held public office as a Washington Township councilman. He has served as Council President twice and as Council Vice President three times. According to his legislature website, Schroeder remains active in the community, sitting on the boards of many civic organizations, and serving on the Consultative Board for
Immaculate Heart Academy
Immaculate Heart Academy (IHA) is an all-girls college preparatory private Roman Catholic high school located in Washington Township, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.
The school colors are blue and white, and the school's athletes ...
. He is also a Trustee for the Leo P. McGuire Public Safety and Education Foundation, a member of the New Jersey-New York Volunteer Fireman's Association, New Jersey State Fire Chief's Association, and the Bergen County 200 Club. He is past president of the Pascack Valley Police Vest Fund, and is on the advisory board of Directors for Lakeland Bank.
Schroeder spent $2.1 million on a largely self-financed campaign for
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
. He won the organization line in
Ocean County
Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.[Doug Forrester
Douglas Robert Forrester (born January 24, 1953) is an American businessman and politician from New Jersey. He was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New Jersey in 2002, and the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 2005. F ...]
who won the race with 36% of the vote. In April 2005
Fairleigh Dickinson
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
's
PublicMind
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
Poll found that Mr. Schroeder lacked statewide name recognition: 70% of voters reported that they hadn't heard of him.
Fairleigh Dickinson
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
PublicMind Pol
"Name Recognition"
April 14, 2005 Of the voters who had heard of Schroeder, 23% responded that they had a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion, while 16% reported that they had an "unfavorable" or "very unfavorable" opinion and 62% reported they were unsure.
In 2009, Republican Assemblyman
John E. Rooney decided not to run for a fifteenth term. Schroeder and former
River Edge
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 12,049, reflecting a 6.3% increase from the 11,340 enumerated at the 2010 U.S. Census, Councilman
John Felice
The Real Kids are an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, led by guitarist, singer and songwriter John Felice.
Career
Felice (born 1955) grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, as a neighbor and friend of Jonathan Richman, a f ...
both sought the endorsement of the Northeastern Republican Organization, which would determine who won the party line in the primary. The NERO overwhelmingly supported Schroeder over Felice, thus giving him the party line in the primary, along with incumbent Assemblywoman
Charlotte Vandervalk
Charlotte Vandervalk (born July 31, 1937) is an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1991 until 2012, representing the 39th legislative district. She served in the Assembly as Deputy Republican ...
. Felice did not run in the primary, thus securing the nomination for Schroeder.
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
and two members in the
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...
. The other representatives from the 39th District for the 2012-2013 Legislative Session are:
*Senator
Gerald Cardinale
Gerald Cardinale (February 27, 1934 – February 20, 2021) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1982 until his death in 2021, representing the 39th Legislative District. He also served one ...
, and
*Assemblywoman
Holly Schepisi
Holly T. Schepisi (born December 20, 1971) is an American lawyer, businesswoman, and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who is the New Jersey Senate, New Jersey State Senator, representing the New Jersey's 39th legisl ...
Criminal charges and conviction
On August 3, 2012, Schroeder was charged by the
New Jersey Attorney General
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confir ...
's Office with passing bad checks, a second-degree felony that carries a potential prison term of up to 10 years and a $150,000 fine. The charges are related to Schroeder allegedly writing nearly $400,000 in bad checks to two investors in his distribution company, All Points International Distributors LLC, which sells tents and prefabricated buildings primarily to the U.S. military. Furthermore, creditors have filed at least six federal lawsuits against All Points, according to court records, and there are a half-dozen lawsuits against the company pending in state courts. At least three creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service, obtained judgments against Schroeder or his business totaling more than $200,000, according to court records.
[Hayes, Melissa; Patberg, Zach; and Harris, Chris]
"NJ assemblyman Robert Schroeder on writing bad checks: 'I made a mistake'"
''The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Records, an English power pop band
* '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...
'', August 3, 2012. Accessed August 7, 2012. As reported in ''
The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Records, an English power pop band
* '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...
'' in response to the charges, Schroeder that "I made a mistake, I apologize," and that the checks that bounced had been written under the assumption that a payment from the United States Army had been wired into his account. Schroeder said that his business had faced a drop in sales in recent years, stating that "Business has been in decline during the Obama administration."
[
On December 20, 2012, Schroeder was indicted by the state Attorney General on three charges, for deceiving five people who loaned him $1.9 million for a venture to provide housing for a North Dakota oil drilling project, and for writing 47 bad checks totaling $3.4 million to twelve other creditors. On October 7, 2016, soon before his trial was to begin, Schroeder entered a plea deal, pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree misconduct by a corporate official, and to a separate charge of issuing bad checks on behalf of his companies. A third charge of theft by deception was dismissed as part of the plea deal. Schroeder was required to pay back the entire $5.3 million to his victims, and he was barred from public office or public employment in New Jersey. On February 6, 2017, Schroeder was sentenced to eight years in state prison. Under his plea deal, he must serve at least three years before being eligible for ]parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
. He was paroled in March 2020.
References
External links
*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
2012201120102009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schroeder, Bob
1960 births
Living people
Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni
Businesspeople from New Jersey
New Jersey city council members
Politicians from Bergen County, New Jersey
Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
People from Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey
21st-century American politicians
New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes
American politicians convicted of fraud
Westwood Regional High School alumni