Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone, who represents Bayonne and a large portion of Jersey City, said charges brought against him in a grand jury indictment are politically motivated and that he will not resign. He said he intends to run for reelection in November.
Chiappone and his wife, Diane, were charged with multiple counts of allegedly misdirecting state funds into election and personal accounts.
In an interview done on Thursday, Chiappone maintained his innocence and said he would fight the charges, even though Gov. Jon Corzine and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts have asked him to step down, and have stripped him of salary and his right to attend sessions of the state Assembly.
I’m still doing my job here,” Chiappone said from his Assembly office in Bayonne. “I intend to keep on doing it until I prove my innocence in court.”