DeMarzo: ‘I am Innocent’

WILDWOOD — Gary DeMarzo, the former mayor of this city who has spent the past several years battling indictments stemming back to allegations he used money from city coffers to pay his attorney to defend him in a lawsuit brought on by his fellow commissioners, has once again said he is innocent and the charges brought against him are part of a witch hunt.
“I am innocent and the same way that (Cape May County Prosecutor Robert) Taylor has come after me, I am coming after Taylor and his cronies,” DeMarzo said in a press release. “They will be held accountable. I will not rest. Take this to the bank.”
In the newest indictment, filed June 12, Demarzo is facing four counts of using city money to pay for personal legal bills, including two counts of official misconduct, on count of criminal contempt and once charge of corruption of public resources. The indictment is charged with disobeying the direct order of Judge Valerie Armstrong not to have the city pay his legal expenses.
“The grand jurors of the state of New Jersey for the County of Cape May, upon their oaths, present that Gary DeMarzo on or about the diverse dates in March, 2010…did contemptuously, purposely or knowingly disobey a judicial order/final judgment, namely by disregarding the judicial order/final judgment of the Honorable Judge Valerie Armstrong, issued on Dec. 8, 2009 which denied Gary DeMarzo’s request to have the court order the City of Wildwood to pay his legal expenses and costs…,” said the indictment.
“The indictment specifically states the facts and the criminal law that was violated by Gary DeMarzo, Taylor told the Herald in a June 13 interview.
“Taylor is trying to put me in prison for more than 10 years,” said DeMarzo. “His actions have already forever affected my family, my wife and my young son and our ability to live our lives free of the stigma and scrutiny he has instigated.”
DeMarzo stated he would like to see Taylor removed from office. “I continue to call for Taylor’s resignation, ask for his removal by the state and call upon the appropriate law enforcement agency to investigate his egregious actions, which I hope will lead to his eventual disbarment,” said DeMarzo.
“Mr. DeMarzo’s claims are not true,” Taylor told the Herald. “Mr. DeMarzo has apparently forgotten that the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has already reviewed and approved the criminal charges against him. The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice in the Attorney General’s Office had documents to support the criminal charges prior to the case being presented to the Cape May County grand jury that indicted Mr. DeMarzo.”
According to DeMarzo employees in the Prosecutor’s Office know the charges against him are “trumped up.”
“I encourage them to come forward now and tell the truth,” said the former mayor. “It is not a matter of ‘if’, but rather ‘when’ each of them will be called to answer Taylor’s abuse of power for his self-gain and that of his cronies inside and outside the office of County Prosecutor.”