Documents associated with the state Attorney General’s indictment of Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone show investigators interviewed not only his legislative aides, but some of those people who opposed him politically, including one-time mayoral candidate Vincent Militello.
“I believed all along that the charges against me were politically motivated,” Chiappone said when confronted with the information about extensive interviews done with aides, political candidates, and people strongly connected with his political opponents.
Attorney General Anne Milgram announced the indictment on Aug. 26, saying that Chiappone and his wife, Diane, had allegedly conspired to funnel state-issued paychecks for legislative aides to Chiappone’s personal and 2005 Assembly campaign election accounts.
“I believed all along that the charges against me were politically motivated.” – Anthony Chiappone
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Investigation materials show that Militello, who has since become an employee of the Attorney General’s office, was among some of the political figures interviewed during the investigation. Part of the testimony was presented to a state Grand Jury, which issued the indictment.
The state claims that Chiappone and his wife conspired to have the state issue more than $8,000 in paychecks for legislative aides, knowing that the money was really destined for the couple’s own pockets or his re-election campaign.
Chiappone maintains his innocence, even though he admits that funds were deposited in both his election and personal accounts.
The seven counts include conspiracy, official misconduct, theft by deception, tampering with public records or information, falsifying or tampering with records, and concealment or misrepresentation of contributions or expenditures.
“We didn’t hide anything,” Chiappone said.
Although not named in the indictment, Councilman Gary La Pelusa said he had donated all of the paychecks he received to the 2005 Chiappone for Assembly campaign.
In May, La Pelusa told the “Bayonne Community News” at the time that he had signed over his aide checks to Chiappone to help defray expenses.
“However, instead of depositing all of the checks into the campaign’s bank account, Anthony and Diane Chiappone allegedly deposited eight of the checks, totaling $4,299.32, into their own bank accounts for their personal use,” Milgram said.
Milgram agreed that La Pelusa’s checks did get deposited into the campaign’s bank account, but that Chiappone allegedly failed to include those contributions in reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).
Testimony from La Pelusa was collaborated by Militello, who – as records show – was interviewed by state investigators Melisa Calkin and Susan Kas on April 15, 2009, concerning information he received from La Pelusa during the 2005 mayoral campaign.
Militello told investigators that La Pelusa had disclosed the information to him during a time when the two were considering a joint campaign. La Pelusa was running for City Council at the time, and contemplated joining Militello’s ticket.
“I discouraged him from doing that,” Chiappone said during an interview this week.
Militello eventually endorsed Mayor Joseph Doria – who also served as a state senator – in the run off election against retired Municipal Judge Patrick Conaghan, who Chiappone supported.
“After that, Militello was hired by the Attorney General’s office,” Chiappone said. “I always wondered if there was a connection between his supporting Doria and his being hired. Now he is being interviewed in the case against me.”
The state’s investigation appears to support Chiappone’s contention that there was a political motive in initiating the investigation.
“I’m not saying that the Attorney General’s office is being political,” Chiappone said. “But I believe politics prompted the investigation.”
The investigation report shows that the motivation for the investigation was a complaint signed against Chiappone by Michael Ransom, who (through his local public access television show) attempted to prove that Chiappone or his wife had forged a check to one aide.
Michael Albanese, an aide to Chiappone in 2004 and 2005, claimed at one point that he was missing a check, which is issued by the state of New Jersey to pay legislative aides. This was later discovered allegedly deposited into Chiappone’s bank account.
Albanese told state investigators that Joe Doria, then mayor of Bayonne, had encouraged him to go to the police with the matter. Later, Albanese recanted his claim that the check was forged and was charged with filing a false police report.
Ransom, who also has ties to former Mayor Doria, was also interviewed along with numerous aides, including current Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa, whose testimony appears to be the basis for the current charges against Chiappone.
Chiappone, however, said the case is currently in the discovery process, and that his attorney’s information requests show that the Grand Jury was not presented a full picture.
“Many interviews done were not presented to the Grand Jury,” he said, “particularly interviews done with Gary (La Pelusa) that tell a different story than the one the Grand Jury eventually heard.”
Chiappone believes that the charges are a direct result of his efforts to look into contracts, land sales and political patronage jobs at the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority.
Chiappone was forced to resign his council seat and his seat on the BLRA in April in exchange for Democratic support to keep his state Assembly seat, a move he said he felt was designed to close the door on activities conducted by the BLRA.
“A week after I resigned from the council, this investigation started,” he said. “Then later, when I asked the governor to extend his executive order to look into contracts at the base, I was indicted.”
Chiappone, who is on the ballot for reelection on Nov. 3, said that he will not resign even though Gov. Jon Corzine and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts have asked him to step down and have stripped him of a salary and his right to attend sessions of the state Assembly.
The state continues to pay rent on the office and the salary for his staff.
“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.”