New Jersey

Former prosecutor and frequent TV commentator dies in apparent suicide

A former New Jersey prosecutor who made frequent TV appearances as a legal analyst has died at the age of 58 in an apparent suicide. The body of former Bergen County Prosecutor John Fahy was discovered Wednesday under a railroad trestle in East Rutherford, report the Bergen County Record and…

Jul 18, 2013 12:52 PM CDT

Parents and lawyers scrutinized in claimed free-lunch scheme for kids of school district insiders

An investigation of school lunch programs in New Jersey has determined that there is widespread abuse by school district employees and even some school board members, authorities say. In addition to obtaining a free lunch for children who do not qualify, the claimed scheme brings additional state funding to the…

Jul 17, 2013 4:30 PM CDT

Fired lawyer charged with stealing client fees from former firm

A New Jersey lawyer has been charged with misappropriating client fees intended for his former firm. Darren P. Leotti, 48, is facing a theft charge for allegedly diverting client payments meant for the Somerset, N.J., firm Mauro, Savo, Camerino, Grant & Schalk to himself, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Leotti, who…

Jul 11, 2013 9:02 PM CDT

House arrest for disbarred lawyer in $400K client theft; another gets time in $885K case

A twice-disbarred Massachusetts lawyer avoided jail for stealing over $400,000 from multiple clients. However, Raymond J. Paczkowski Sr., 77, was sentenced on Wednesday in Middlesex Superior Court to spend two years on house arrest, wearing a GPS monitor, after he pleaded guilty to multiple larceny counts, reports the Lowell Sun.…

Jun 28, 2013 1:55 PM CDT

Backlash for town lawyer after his cease-and-desist letter prompted snarky response

Has the writer of a cease-and-desist letter for a New Jersey township entered the legal lexicon? That was the suggestion of the man who received the letter in comments at a township meeting Tuesday, Above the Law reports. Jake Freivald, an unsuccessful candidate for town council, operates the website westorange.info;…

Jun 27, 2013 6:20 PM CDT

Report: Township lawyer got $18K annually but did no work

An unidentified lawyer for a New Jersey township was earning $18,800 annually, plus health benefits, but admittedly got no work assignments for years. The attorney resigned from the North Bergen job in January after the state comptroller’s office began asking questions, reports the Star-Ledger. Meanwhile, the township’s top lawyer, Herbert…

Jun 26, 2013 4:23 PM CDT

Suspended judge accused of hindering suspect’s arrest pleads not guilty

A suspended New Jersey judge on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to a charge of hindering the apprehension of a robbery suspect. Judge Carlia Brady who was only recently appointed as a judge in Middlesex County, is accused of failing to notify police when suspect Jason Prontnicki allegedly spent at least…

Jun 20, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Newly appointed judge is arrested and suspended without pay

A New Jersey judge has been suspended without pay following her arrest in Middlesex County on a charge of hindering the apprehension of another. Superior Court Judge Carlia Brady, 41, only recently began work as a jurist, assuming the bench in that county in April, according to the Associated Press.…

Jun 13, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

Kobe Bryant’s parents apologize, get OK to auction some boyhood sports items

Litigation between basketball star Kobe Bryant and an auction house that reportedly gave his parents a $450,000 upfront payment to auction sports memorabilia from his youth has been settled. His parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant, have apologized and will be allowed to sell a small fraction of the items that…

Jun 11, 2013 4:28 PM CDT

2 former workers get over 1 year in $788K law firm theft

Two former employees convicted of working together to divert $788,000 from an unidentified New Jersey law firm were sentenced Thursday in Trenton to over 1 year each in federal prison. Marla Deptula, 46, and Rose L. Crabbe, 32, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and Deputa also…

Jun 6, 2013 10:35 PM CDT

Lawyer accused of bilking real estate investors through false claims of criminal probes takes plea

A New Jersey lawyer accused of participating in a scheme to defraud and extort money from four individuals by falsely claiming they were under criminal investigation has taken a plea. Thomas G. Frey has pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton to extortion and wire-fraud conspiracy charges, the Sentinel reports.…

Jun 4, 2013 9:14 PM CDT

Hitchhiking YouTube star arrested in homicide of NJ attorney

A man well-known on the Web as “Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker” has been arrested in Philadelphia and charged in the homicide of Joseph Galfy Jr., a 73-year-old New Jersey lawyer who was found dead at his home in Clark earlier this week. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, was arrested at a…

May 17, 2013 4:50 PM CDT

Dad faces child-endangerment and weapon charges after authorities say son, 4, shot playmate to death

The father of a 4-year-old boy accused of shooting a 6-year-old playmate to death last month is facing multiple charges of child endangerment and one count of enabling access by minors to a loaded firearm. Anthony Senatore, 33, of Toms River, N.J., is cooperating, says his lawyer, Robert Ebberup, but…

May 15, 2013 4:20 PM CDT

Death of New Jersey lawyer is ruled a homicide

An autopsy has determined that blunt force trauma caused the death of a 73-year-old New Jersey lawyer found dead in his home on Monday. Authorities are labeling the death of Joseph Galfy a homicide, report the New Jersey Star-Ledger and MyCentralJersey.com. Galfy was a former municipal attorney for Green Brook…

May 15, 2013 12:00 PM CDT

Retired Salomon Bros chief’s suit says secretary assigned in Citigroup consulting pact stole $3M

The 99-year-old son of a founder of Salomon Brothers has sued Citigroup, contending that the bank breached a retirement contract by assigning him and failing to supervise adequately a personal secretary who allegedly stole $3 million of his personal funds. William Salomon, who began working for the famed investment bank…

May 13, 2013 3:45 PM CDT