Brothers say they were New Jersey’s only ‘honest’ garbage company

New Jersey brothers say that they ran the only honest and corruption-free garbage disposal business in the state.
Waste management in the New York/New Jersey area has often been stereotyped as having a deep connection to organized crime. This stereotype was only strengthened by HBO’s hit series “The Sopranos,” which takes place in the Garden State.
John and Dan Samoles owned J and D Waste Management for eight years. They say that they were often shaken down because they wanted to operate their business honestly. They say that they were often approached by managers of private shopping plazas, stores and office buildings.
“Giants football tickets coming. The escort's coming. The envelope's coming. Pick your poison,” says Dan Samoles.
The brothers say that they want the public to know how corrupt the trash industry could be.
John Samoles says that he once interrupted a sexual liaison between a competing company boss and a prostitute hired by a client.
They say that there was also a time when a facilities manager demanded an envelope full of cash. But they refused.
“We ain’t paying you nothing dude. And then John grabbed him by his neck and I opened the door and we threw him out,” says Dan.
They also say that there was a CEO who had a $250,000 payment to himself written into a hauling contract.
“He called it a renewal bonus," says Dan.
The brothers sold their business in 2007 saying that it was tough to get contracts because they refused to play the game. But Dan says that he is trying to get back into the business as a consultant.
A 2017 report by the State Commission of Investigation found the state's recycling industry is also vulnerable to corruption with state lawmakers taking little action to try and clamp down.