Democratic Assemblyman Nelson Albano Under Investigation

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, the New Jersey Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards voted unanimously, 8-0, to investigate Democratic Assemblyman Nelson Albano. The committee, which includes members of the public who are Democrats and Republicans, including a former judge and former Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, dismissed several complaints against other legislators. But when it came to Albano, the committee was unanimous that the Van Drew Team member should be subject to investigation. According to news sources, Albano faces sanctions ranging from reprimand to expulsion from the Assembly and up to $10,000 in fines.
The charges stem from a letter that Albano sent to the head of the New Jersey State Police after he was ticketed by a State Trooper for speeding. In what has come to be known as Troopergate, Albano made allegations that he was “intentionally targeted;” “humiliated, embarrassed and disrespected;” “treated like a criminal;” and that the Trooper engaged in a “charade.” In his complaint to the state’s top uniformed law enforcement officer, Albano demanded an investigation of the Trooper. But there was a problem for Albano, the Trooper’s car was equipped with a dashboard video camera. The video showed that the Trooper acted with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Newspapers throughout the state, including the Star Ledger, the Gloucester County Times, the Vineland Daily Journal, the South Jersey Times as well as NJLawman.com, all condemned Albano for filing the false complaint. Several called for an ethics investigation. A retired police officer filed a formal complaint and on Tuesday, the ethics committee launched a full scale investigation into Albano’s conduct.
Despite the public outcry against Albano’s action in jeopardizing the State Trooper’s career, and the unanimous vote of the neutral committee to investigate Albano, NJ.com reported that Senator Van Drew’s Chief of Staff called the investigation merely “’procedural’ because all claims received by the committee, regardless of their merit, must be investigated.” This too was false. It is highly unusual for the committee to move forward with such an investigation. It has punished only a handful of lawmakers in its 34 years. Albano’s complaint was referred to investigators on the same day that numerous other complaints were dismissed by the committee. Van Drew’s Chief of Staff’s comments fit into the pattern of denial that has surrounded Albano’s Troopergate scandal. NJLawman.com, an online law enforcement magazine, called for disciplinary action against Albano. The Star Ledger newspaper called for an ethics investigation. The Gloucester County Times called Albano’s actions “an abuse of power.” Yet Democratic state Senator Jeff Van Drew, Albano’s running mate, called the Committee’s investigation into the false allegations by Albano against the Trooper, “much ado about nothing.” * The “nothing” Van Drew is referring to is a false complaint by Albano that put an innocent police officer’s career on hold and put him at risk of disciplinary action. It is clear that, based on the dashboard video that showed that the Trooper did nothing wrong, the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards does not agree with Van Drew’s assessment that Albano’s conduct is “much ado about nothing.” A State Trooper’s career was at stake. NJLawman.com said, “[W]here would this trooper be if not for the video? An accusation made by a person of such high standing would have – at a minimum – caused serious damage to the trooper’s career. Yet Van Drew insists this is “much ado about nothing.”
The ethics committee, according to NJ.com, “directed its attorneys to investigate” Albano. It will now be up to the Committee to decide what disciplinary action Albano will face as a result of sending the fabricated complaint letter on his official Van Drew- Albano – Milam legislative letterhead to Colonel Fuentes of the State Police.
Sources
· Legislative Ethics Committee Rarely Acts, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 2006
· Letter on Van Drew, Albano & Milam official legislative letterhead to Col. Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. Readable on ArrogantAlbano.com
· Ethics panel to investigate Assemblyman Nelson Albano, Star Ledger, September 17, 2013
· A Trooper, An Assemblyman and a Video, NJLawman.com, December 20, 2012
· Ethics Committee should investigate lawmaker’s pressuring of Trooper after ticket, Star Ledger Editorial Board, April 18, 2012
· Not okay for Assemblyman Nelson Albano to ask for this favor, Gloucester County Times Editorial Board, April 17, 2012
· “Much about nothing,” Jeff Van Drew on Hurley in the Morning radio show, September 18, 2013
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