New Jersey ? Sharpe James, mayor of Newark for 20 years, was indicted Thursday on corruption charges alleging that he spent city money extravagantly on himself and several women, and that he helped one of his companions rake in more than $500,000 on the fraudulent sale of city land.

James, 71, is accused of using city credit cards for more than $58,000 in personal expenses during trips to locations including Martha’s Vineyard, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Rio de Janeiro. He’s charged with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and with engineering the cut-rate sale of city properties.

James, a Democrat who stepped down as mayor last year but remains a state senator, helped bring in development to downtown Newark, including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and a controversial city-subsidized hockey arena to open this fall.

However, he failed to make significant progress in combatting crime, poverty and decay in the outlying neighborhoods of this city.

James surrendered to the FBI after the indictment was announced. The judge set bail at $250,000 and ordered James to surrender his passport and stay within the state.