The longtime mayor of Clark Township pleaded guilty to charges of official misconduct and forgery.

Sal Bonaccorso has been in office since 2001. Now serving in his seventh term, Bonaccorso announced he will step down from office as part of a plea deal following criminal charges.

It's been over a year since Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced criminal charges against the mayor in connection to his landscaping and underground oil storage tank removal company, Bonaccorso & Son, LLC.

Bonaccorso entered the plea deal Friday morning in front of a New Jersey Superior Court Judge.

According to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Bonaccoroso pleaded guilty to official misconduct and forgery, stemming from false and fraudulent permit applications, enabling his company to obtain permits to remove hundreds of underground tanks.

Officials say the value of the removal jobs, between 2017 and 2023, amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As part of the agreement - Bonaccorso immediately forfeited his office as mayor and will be permanently banned from holding any future public office or employment.

"Today’s guilty plea secured by OPIA ends a long and sad betrayal of the community by someone who had been in a position of power and trust for a long time,” Platkin wrote in a statement.

Bonaccorso's legal team also issued a statement regarding the case.

"Today, to avoid further disruption and stress to his family, to his health and to the town he loves and has dedicated his life to, Mayor Bonaccorso has pled rather than exercising his right to a trial,” attorneys wrote.

The lawyers said the yearslong investigation involves two minor charges. The state attorney general's office agreed to a probationary sentence and a $15,000 fine.

The mayor's company will also not be allowed to bid on any public projects.

Clark Township residents would not speak to News 12 on camera but stated their thoughts. One said "We love the mayor" and said he was set up, another said it's a shame what he got away with for so long, and some said they like what he's done for this town.

News 12 is working to learn more about what this will mean for the township moving forward.