Caleb McGillvary, better known as Kai the hitchhiker, spent nearly five long years in solitary confinement at the Union County Jail while awaiting trial. Twenty-three hours a day, seven days a week, in segregation—what is considered to be “cruel and unusual punishment.” That is of course a gross violation of constitutional rights, not unlike the inherent violation of the sixth amendment right to a speedy and fair trial that Kai was subjected to.
It all began with two fateful rides, only weeks apart. The first would catapult him to fame and epic hero status, the second, would plummet him into the depths of a nightmare that continues to this day. Kai gained viral fame with a ride he thumbed that resulted in him saving the lives of a utility worker and a woman in the Fresno, California in 2013. His emotional and heartfelt message catapulted him to viral fame. His ‘catchphrase’ of “Smash, smash, suh-MASH!” resulted in him being invited on the Jimmy Kimmel show as well as on an episode of Stephen Colbert’s show, among others.
It all changed in an instant, shortly after Kai shared the following status on his Facebook account: “What would you do if you woke up with a groggy head, metallic taste in your mouth, in a stranger’s house . . . and started wretching [sic], realizing that someone had drugged, raped . . . you?” This was one of the last posts beloved viral star Kai the Hitchhiker made to social media before his arrest. From viral fame after being interviewed shortly after saving the lives of a man and woman, Kai’s rising star seemed to be crashing quickly. Not long after that though, the nightmare would begin, a nightmare that continues to this day.
Kai alleges he was drugged and raped, evidence available suggests he was then subjected to a sloppy frame-up job. After the ‘investigation,’ he was then detained without trial and held in solitary for years. When the trial finally came, in keeping with the investigation and detention, it could be characterized as nothing less than a massive miscarriage of justice in which the defense seemed to work on behalf of the prosecution.
Major conflicts of interest abound in the case. Officials of the court who should have recused themselves among others. Eventually, one judge assigned to the case would step down rather than recuse himself when it was pointed out that he was connected personally to the alleged rapist lawyer, Joseph Galfy. The prosecutor, Theodore Romankow also “resigned” after 11 years when his friendship with the deceased was disclosed. Incidentally or coincidentally, he “call[ed] it quits” on the same date Kai’s arrest was announced.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger reported the following: “In court, McGillvary told Superior Court Judge Joseph Donohue last month that Robert Mega, Union County’s presiding Criminal Court judge, had the phone number for the victim’s son, Joseph Galfy III Jr., saved as contact no. 18. He later learned that Mega was listed in Galfy’s cell phone from the evidence that the prosecutor’s office provided to Liguori. Donohue said Mega has recused himself from the case, but he understood the defendant’s concern about the other judges.”
Oh dear, not another conflict of interest! This is starting to look like a pattern. Not unlike the pattern of abuse inherent in the New Jersey penal system and specifically the Union County jail and Juvenile Detention Center which have been responsible for multiple deaths and an environment of sadism that is beyond the pale. There are numerous issues with the investigation, detention, and trial of Kai. Kai accused the proceedings of being a kangaroo court and sham trial. Many media sources portray his claims as unhinged and conspiratorial but what is to be done about the fact that evidence supports many of his claims?
In the Gardner and Suter investigative report, it was noted that the dishwasher had been run between May 13 and 15th, while the home of Joseph Galfy, the wealthy lawyer and accused predator, was an active crime scene. Also, Galfy was found with his own semen and unidentified blood on his penis. Kai was denied a rape kit, but they ran one on the deceased. The cups that were said to be drugged were washed by investigators; but a tox screen was ordered on Galfy’s body. The tox screen and rape kit were both negative, but they were done on the wrong person. So at this point, the prosecution can claim that “a rape kit was run” and that “tox screens were inconclusive.” That certainly would seem to make Kai out to be a liar had this not been the result of a brazen bait-and-switch.
Why would a dishwasher be run in a house subject to an ongoing investigation about an alleged murder and/or rape? And to explain the “and/or” in New Jersey, lethal force is authorized in the case of sexual assault so accidentally killing someone who is raping you in the state is not even manslaughter. Now if the evidence of Kai being drugged and raped hadn’t been destroyed (‘spoliation of exculpatory evidence,’ in legalese) then this would be an open-and-shut case. If the public defender was more interested in defending Kai rather than playing ball with the Union County system, then perhaps there would have already been a more favorable dispensation.
Oh, and who was allowed in the house around the time that this mysterious dishwasher incident occurred? None other than former local chief of police and brother of the deceased, James Galfy. James Galfy, according to investigative documents released in discovery, note his concern that a “drifter” was involved when he was told his brother was dead. Apparently not the first such case of a “vagrant” being involved in Galfy’s life.
I interviewed Samuel Clark who worked his way up from Sergeant to Lieutenant before finding himself on the wrong side of the Blue Wall after reporting various issues of police misconduct in the Newark Police Department. Will be incorporating some of this material in the upcoming book about Kai the Hitchhiker.
Mr. Clark has a new project, a docuseries related to police and political corruption that should be out soon. When that happens should have a review of that as well.
I reached out to retired FBI agent Myron Fuller regarding the notorious ABSCAM case involving political corruption, international money laundering and mafioso, ties between New Jersey municipal corruption and the Philly mob and more in preparation for my upcoming book about the Kai the Hitchhiker case. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend checking out the interview he did with former FBI agent, podcaster, author and consultant Jerri Williams about the case that the movie American Hustle was (very, very loosely) based on.
Myron Fuller, fmr. SAC FBI Honolulu Division
Philip Fairbanks: The ABSCAM case, I assume, was considered a source of pride and a successful operation at the time, but Congress and the media seemed none too pleased. Was it frustrating seeing the operation skewered?
Myron Fuller: Among several crisis that occurred during the three years running (July 1977 – January 1980) of Abscam, the US Congress was the most threatening to the FBI’s use of Court accepted “Agent Provocateur” Undercover technique against subjects who were accused of asking or accepting large sums of money in exchange for the use of their Government position and power to benefit themselves and bypass the legal methodology of granting or supporting contracts.
Although I did not create the Undercover operation to target Public Corruption, when we were led to that opportunity by a subject of Organized Crime with relative ease, the FBI did not hesitate to recognize and pursue corruption. Based on existing evidence, I set up Abscam to penetrate the criminal relationship between sophisticated White Collar Crime conmen and members of the Five Families of Organized Crime in the New York Metropolitan area. I had learned that conmen and Gambino members had taken over Iverson Cycle Co. in Queens.
When our first opportunity to meet with Public Officials was presented to myself, as undercover Myron Wagner, and Cooporative Witness Mel Weinberg, we followed the trail of evidence. The term “predication” has always been used in the FBI to open a case. Being in New York City, neither myself nor my superiors were discouraged by Congress nor the media, as long as what we did was within the Rule of Law. When the media begin to attack Weinberg, our main witness, it was a huge concern because if he is impeached, then Abscam would be tainted in all of its’ 25 separate cases leading to the prosecution of more than 50 subjects from the ranks of Mafia, Conmen and Public figures in approximately a dozen Federal Districts located in 10 States.
The countries of Canada, United Kingdom and Switzerland were also in the mix, which would have felt the failures of the FBI. As to Congress, the FBI was cleared following their Hearing on FBI Undercover Operations. The complaint was that the FBI had commenced a “political” investigation against Congress and was targeting Democrat Representatives. That presumption was due to a FBI Supervisor in New York that lied to FBI HQ on the mission of Abscam, falsely advising that Abscam only begin when we had the opportunity to investigate Public Officials.
I cleared that up when I testified before the Congressional Hearing and so advised James Neal, who was leading the Hearing investigation. I explained that Abscam was initiated against the Mafia and Conmen some eighteen months before myself and Mel met a Mafia/Conman named Bill Rosenberg in Manhattan, who led us directly to Angelo Errichetti, Mayor of Camden, NJ. All of the Public Corruption subjects in NJ, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, North Carolina and Florida, who accepted bribes and prosecuted were linked directly back to Errichetti, either directly or through one or two other persons. While some media was critical, I gave information directly to a reporter who ran front page articles in Philadelphia and Miami, who was factual and not critical. The most threatening crisis was when the media reported that Mel had made money by peddling counterfeit bank notes to Mayor Errichetti and others. I became embroiled in this as did the DOJ and the Federal Court in Brooklyn. It is a long story, but it came down to my decision to not raise the matter to OPR FBI or nor DOJ, which could have sabotaged the integrity of the FBI and a US Attorney in Brooklyn.
Philip Fairbanks: ABSCAM played a major role in the primary elections once the story broke. Was it surprising to see that Lederer and Murtha for instance managed to still win reelection despite their being embroiled in bribery and money laundering?
Myron Fuller: I was not surprised that Lederer and Murtha were forgiven for attending a meeting in which unlawful activities were discussed, since they declined to accept the bribe. When high ranking Public figures became subjects in Abscam, the FBI at the Headquarters, including the Director, and DOJ became the “supervisors”. No bribe payment was made without a request made by FBI NYC, Newark, Philadelphia, et al, and approval at the Director level was confirmed by teletype, which was the immediate paper communication back then. I did not follow the political fallout of Abscam that closely, and did not see the case as being for nor against either party. To me they were subjects of an investigation, period.
Philip Fairbanks: Did you see the movie American Hustle? If so, what did you think about it? Felt like a wasted opportunity personally turning such an engaging case into a highly fictionalized love triangle movie.
Myron Fuller: Regarding “American Hustle”, as a retired Agent, I was the “FBI consultant” and spent time with Asst. Producer Richard Suckle, Script Writer Eric Singer, Actors Christian Bale, Bradly Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, et al. I read the scripts before they were decided on the final cuts. I wanted the movie to be more accurate, but that would have presented legal problems for the Attorneys. I agree that it wasted an opportunity to tell a “one of a kind” historic story.
No FBI Agent(s) before Abscam and none since have accomplished what Abscam was able to do. I happened to be in the right place (NYC) at the right time (1977) when developing events and factors enabled myself to use informants, wire taps (Title III), undercover operation, searches, etc, as well as backstopping from a VP at Chase Manhattan Bank, a former Department of State employee, and on-demand access to $3.2 Million in cash at CMB in my undercover name. As it turned out, the movie did quite well, making some $250Million and received 10 nominations for Emmy awards. Hollywood knows what sells, which is usually fiction over facts.
Philip Fairbanks: How often are cases of wire fraud involving judges, politicians and other people who can trade on their positions of power a sign of bribery?
Myron Fuller: On how often do cases of wire fraud involving pubic officials become a sign of corruption, I do not know. You might call the White Collar Crime Division at HQ for that information. In Abscam, it was the conmen frauds against US banks that led us to the involvement of the Mob, in particular members of Colombo, Gambino and Lucchese families. The efforts by undercover Agents Jim Wedick and Jack Brennen, who developed Operation Fountain Pen investigations, came to NYC and helped us obtain probable cause for a Title III against Fred Pro and Phil Kitzer, who owned Seven Oaks Finance in London, a sham bank that was used against hundreds of banks in the US.
I encouraged David Howard to writhe the book, “Chasing Phil”, in which Agents Wedick and Brennen are featured, along with my assistance on the NYC part. The Euro-Afro-Asiatic Trust in Liechtenstein, also a fraudulent bank, was used by Andy D’Amato to defraud the largest bank in Connecticut. I met D’Amato in an undercover scenario and he was charged under Abscam in the SDNY, NY . He and Donald Trump discussed purchasing the Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami, using Euro-Afro-Asiatric Turst as a source. I interviewed Trump regarding this (see Newsweek for article), and be admitted that he had an interest, but chose not to purchase the hotel. (Trump later became a source for someone in the FBI office in NYC). Your question on fraud is a big one and covers a wide area.
Philip Fairbanks: Seems there have been multiple connections between the Philly mob and cases of New Jersey corruption, how long has this connection existed and what are some reasons for it?
Myron Fuller: You are correct on the criminal relationship between NJ and Philadelphia. My personal knowledge is due to our encounter with Camden Mayor Errichetti. When he saw that we were in the business of paying politicians for favors, he took us directly across the Delaware River to the ubiquitous target rich arena of Pennsylvania. It appeared to us back in the 1970’s and ’80’s, that the corruption and Mob control from the Families of NYC, had direct ties to NJ, and that NJ had the same connections with Pennsylvania. We saw the same connection between NYC and Connecticut.
Apalachin meeting, November 14, 1957
This practice had historic connections by the Mob. As you know, there was a meeting of some 70 Mob leaders in Appalachin, NY in 1957, at which they discussed how to work together when necessary across state lines. I am currently working on a matter in Louisiana and Mississippi regarding the Dixie Mafia, and it is clear that there underground connections between criminal groups that rely on other like-minded to advise and assist. One of the characters is Larry Thompson of Shreveport, Louisiana, who was hired by a insurance agent in Tom River, NJ to kill his wife in efforts to collect on a million dollar life insurance policy. The interworking of those who with to engage a Mob to do their dirty work is usually only one or two phone calls away.
Philip Fairbanks: What can ordinary people do to combat corruption in the system?
Myron Fuller: As we see every day on the news, people tend to believe what they see and hear when it satisfies their need, comfort and often political beliefs. Given the decades of fraud, betrayal of truths, law enforcement answers to questions on crime, public service channels on crimes against people, banks and governments, I do not know of a panacea, because the smart crooks come up with new angles to fit the connections between the desperate and the desperado. The phrase, “a sucker is born every minute” seems to remain true. I am not totally cynical on this matter, and I do think that most frauds could be prevented by being patient, taking the time to look vertically and horizontally and then bounce it off others, attorneys, accountants, etc, before failing to blink and taking the bait. If people would remember that fraud is usually successful if the salesperson is likable.
Caleb McGillivary, better known to the world as Kai the Hitchhiker has clued me in to decades of judiciary corruption and media cover up related to several cases involving prosecutors, judges, state legislators and other prominent persons receiving slaps on the wrist for sex crimes related to children… over a period of over 30 years.
I mentioned the Cleveland Street Scandal in my first article about Kai’s situation in the Inquisitr back in 2017. The Cleveland Street Scandal which embroiled Oscar Wilde, in which at Wilde’s indecency trial the prosecutor, judge and others were shown decades later to have been involved in a child trafficking ring that catered to the well-to-do elites and may have extended as far as Prince Albert himself.
The Cleveland Street Scandal is mentioned in chapter one of my book Pedogate Primer: the politics of pedophilia. There is also a chapter on the 7th floor group ambassadorial sex crimes cover-up and Operation Flicker which exposed multiple people distributing and downloading child pornography on Department of Defense networks. Including people with top security clearance at the NSA and elsewhere.
This issue came up occasionally in the news off and on since Hillary Clinton’s stint as Secretary of State under Barack Obama. Even a bill was written, the SEND Network Abuse act of 2019, a bipartisan bill. The End National Defense (END)Network Abuse Act was a bipartisan bill. Introduced to the Senate in 2019, it was then referred to the Committee on Armed Services. There was scant mention of it in the press between July and December 2019 and no actions to report since then.
By the way, if you’d like to sign Kai’s petition at Change.org to have state employees screened you can sign here. Also if you’d like to support Kai’s legal fundraising effort, you can do so here. If you’d like to keep up with what’s going on apart from keeping an eye on the “Kai the Hitchhiker” tag at this site, you can check out the Kai the Hitchhiker blog regularly updated at Facebook.
KAI: I found some extremely disturbing news. Joseph Galfy and his brother James weren’t the only ones in the Union County Legal Community preying on the innocent. When head prosecutor Theodore Romankow said he was “in the same circles” as the Galfy’s; He was apparently talking about a sex predator ring that goes back DECADES. You may be wondering why I haven’t brought this up before now. The fact is, I wasn’t able to find out until recently. For years, in Union County Jail, I was never allowed to access a law library computer. I had to put in a request form, and an employee of the jail would decide what, if anything, I would receive. After arriving at New Jersey State Prison, I spent over 2 years perfecting my appeals; so that I’m now ready to bring my case before a federal judge. I recently got 4 free hours at the law library, after all my work was done. I decided to use the opportunity to answer the burning question: “How many more Galfys ARE there in New Jersey?” I tried looking up criminal cases, but those sneaky creeps hide the proceedings. Then I had a “Eureka!” moment. I checked the Bar Disciplinary Proceedings. I was like, “Holy Shit.” First of all, I found “In Re Legato 229 NJ 173 (2017)”; a case involving 3 lawyers from those “circles”; who were each caught masturbating in front of kids from 9-12 years old… and attempting to lure them into secluded areas. In that case, the New Jersey Supreme Court held, verbatim: “The Court refrains from establishing a bright-line rule requiring disbarment in all cases involving sexual offenses against children.” Legato 229 NJ at 182 The Court then admitted that, up until recently, they didn’t really care about lawyers sexually abusing children: “In the fifteen years since Ferriaolo, we have recognized changing societal attitudes towards child sexual offenders.” Legato 229 NJ at 186 There were DOZENS more cases like that. There were AT LEAST dozens more Galfys. And these are just the ones with so much evidence; and so many witnesses; that they COULDNT cover it up. (remember how hard they worked to cover up the Galfy in my case: destroyed evidence, perjured cops and judges, witness tampering, shifted burden of proof, etc, etc) These are just the tip of the iceberg: we’ll never know how many they covered up. The Newspapers wouldn’t even report any but ONE of THESE ones! Don’t just take my word for it; use Google Scholar or Leagle to look up these cases for your own self:
And I did just that. Below you will see Kai’s notes interspersed with the Disciplinary Review Board write-ups. Several for some of these folks and as I said, these are no small potatoes. Judges whose crimes are covered up in the media and then able to get their son’s sex crimes covered up as well. (No sex offender registry records either). Prosecutors, state legislators, the list goes on.
And so there’s no confusion about what Kai claimed, I added relevant portions from the DRB records that relate to this stream of sex offenders and pedophiles in New Jersey getting their crimes covered up in the media, slap on the wrist in the court room and a few months suspension. Of the first 7 here (of 18 so far) only one got jail time that I could see. Was seeing up to 30, sentenced to 5 years. Did 12 months.
It’s not a smoking gun regarding outright media blackout, but like with the Jeffrey Epstein case or Ed Buck, powerful people with connections get stories quelled all the time. Peter Nygard will be in a courtroom soon, but for years he had stories about his trafficking ring suppressed. If Joseph Galfy, the man Kai alleges drugged and raped him, a lawyer and brother of a former sheriff who was inexplicably in the active crime scene unattended around the time that the mugs and glasses Kai said were drugged were run through a dishwasher, but then later drug tested anyway?
I’ve wondered for a while why no reporters apart from myself seem to have been interested enough to look into the discovery documents, crime scene photos and other evidence that bears out Kai’s claims. Whether its a media blackout to keep Kai in prison so he can’t move forward with his civil suit for the 4+ years he spent in solitary in Union County (New Jersey’s 20th district, which, incidentally shows up several times in the following case studies.
Again, like Kai told me though, don’t take my word for it. The links are below and the lengthy portions under each case are direct quotes from the caselaw text or DRBs. Except for one case, none of these many stories of corruption, crimes against children and a system that slaps them on the wrist and sets them on the way presents itself time and again.
1.) Collins v Union County Jail 291 NJ Super 318 (Law Div 1995) KAI: Union County Jail Officer Gayland Robinson repeatedly forcibly anally raped inmate Jessie Collins. Robinson never went to jail for it. The newspapers never reported it. https://casetext.com/case/collins-v-union-county-jail-3 I checked Kai’s claim, thought he was wrong when I saw a news story from the New York Times, the article however is just explaining how it was determined the raped inmate had no civil recourse because the PTSD and psychological scars weren’t physical and thus no compensation was deemed worthy. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/16/nyregion/jail-rape-victim-can-sue.html 2.) In Re Cohen 204 NJ 588 (2011) KAI: NJ Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen was caught distributing child porn from his office at THE NJ STATE LEGISLATURE. His receptionist found some printouts in his desk and alerted the press, so for once there was coverage.
The facts of this case are undisputed. In July 2008, printouts of pornographic images, some of which depicted young female victims, were found in a receptionist’s desk drawer at the district office of New Jersey’s Twentieth Legislative District. At the time, respondent was an assemblyman representing the Twentieth District. The discovery led to an investigation by the New Jersey State Police, which revealed that this was not the first time pornography was encountered at the office; staff had previously discovered sexually explicit images in the office during morning work hours or following a weekend. As a result, the Office of Legislative Services required passwords on the computers.
When confronted, respondent admitted to the State Police that he had visited pornographic sites and printed the sexually explicit pictures. He acknowledged that the sites he viewed and the printed images contained both adult and child pornography. He explained that he had accessed the receptionist’s state-issued computer with a password that he instructed another member of his staff to obtain. Interviews also revealed that staff members observed respondent viewing pornography on the receptionist’s computer on prior occasions.
In total, the police recovered thirty-four images of child pornography that respondent accessed on computers at the district office and at respondent’s law office. The images retrieved from respondent’s law office depicted nineteen girls under sixteen years old.
In some circumstances, we have disbarred attorneys involved with child pornography, rather than imposing a lengthy suspension. Disbarment is the most severe punishment, reserved for circumstances in which “the misconduct of [the] attorney is so immoral, venal, corrupt or criminal as to destroy totally any vestige of confidence that the individual could ever again practice in conformity with the standards of the profession.” In re Templeton, 99 N.J. 365, 376, 492 A.2d 1001 (1985).
For example, we concluded that disbarment was an appropriate discipline for an attorney who had been actively viewing child pornography for ten years, had in his possession the equivalent of 753 images of child pornography, and had traded these images with other persons. In re Burak, 208 N.J. 484 (2012). We found particularly unsettling the fact that several of the images portrayed children engaged in “sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence,” such as bondage. The respondent in Burak pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 2252A(a)(5)(B) and (b)(2), and was subsequently sentenced to more than eight years in prison. We also took into account that the attorney had been indicted for criminal sexual contact with a minor female relative during the time that the FBI was investigating his child pornography activities.
Similarly, we disbarred an attorney after he pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to felony possession of child pornography, a violation of 18 U.S.C .A. § 2252A(a)(5)(B). In re Sosnowski, 197 N.J. 23, 961 A.2d 697 (2008). The attorney admitted to possessing sixty-seven images of child pornography and eight sexually explicit video files of children engaging in sexual acts and exposing their genitals. In addition, the attorney had placed hidden cameras in a child’s bathroom and bedroom. He was sentenced to thirty-seven months in prison, with five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 assessment.
More generally, attorneys who have been convicted of offenses involving the physical sexual assault of children have typically been disbarred by this Court. In re Wright, 152 N.J. 35, 35, 702 A.2d 830 (1997) (disbarring attorney convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault for digitally penetrating his minor daughter’s vaginal area); In re “X”, 120 N.J. 459, 464–65, 577 A.2d 139 (1990) (disbarring lawyer who sexually assaulted his three daughters over an eight-year period); cf. In re Herman, 108 N.J. 66, 67, 527 A.2d 868 (1987) (suspending attorney for three years for purposely touching the buttocks of a ten-year-old boy, a second-degree sexual assault).
Most recently, we disbarred an attorney who pleaded guilty to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, in violation of N .J.S.A. 2C:24–4(a). In re Frye, 217 N.J. 438 (2014). There, the respondent admitted to improperly touching a nine-year-old child in 1999, with the intent to “impair or debauch the morals of the child.” Respondent was sentenced to five years’ non-custodial probation, community supervision for life, and was prohibited from having contact with the victim. In September 2003, the respondent was found guilty of violating his probation by failing to report to his probation officer on six dates and failing to attend sex therapy. On September 19, 2003, he was sentenced to continued probation. We based his disbarment sanction on the crimes themselves and respondent’s failure to notify the OAE of his conviction for more than fifteen years, during which he continued to practice law with impunity.
In the case at hand, after analyzing and weighing the circumstances of respondent’s criminal offense, as well as respondent’s alleged mental illness, his own experience being sexually abused as a child, and his cooperation in seeking treatment and his progress thus far, we have determined to impose, for the first time, discipline not formerly used. We hold that respondent shall serve an indeterminate period of suspension, pursuant to Rule 1:20–15A(a)(2). This form of discipline is a step short of disbarment and is the most severe suspension that can be imposed on an attorney.
Imposition of the indeterminate suspension in this case places all attorneys on notice of the consequences that may follow sexually-related offenses. Respondent may not seek reinstatement for five years from the date of his temporary suspension. In addition, he must establish his fitness to practice law prior to being readmitted to the practice of law in New Jersey. Proof of fitness will be subject to vigorous review. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nj-supreme-court/1681590.html
Deputy Majority Leader of NJ Assembly 2002 – resignation, Dep Minority Leader from 96-01, Minority Whip from 94-95. http://www.northjersey.com/news/Lawmaker_investigated_for_child_porn_sources_say.html (error 404 from Wikipedia link) https://www.nj.com/news/2008/07/assemblyman_neil_cohen_investi.html (updated 2019) “Union County Assemblyman two of the sources said a legislative staffer initially discovered the images, then notified Lesniak and Cryan. Cohen could not be reached for comment” “under psychiatric care” “Cohen, 57, is in his 17th year in the Assembly, having served from 1990 to 1991 and continuously since 1994. He chairs the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and is one of seven deputy speakers. He also is a long-time member of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ethical Standards.” He had a law practice in Montclair with Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex) at this point the article from NJ.com turns into an odd sort of hagiography, whitewashing this serial pedophile.
“Among the more than 100 laws Cohen has sponsored is one that created a 24-hour hotline for members of the public to report computer crimes, including child pornography. He also co-sponsored a law that retroactively removed immunity from churches, schools and other charities that negligently hire employees who sexually abuse children.
“He also supported measures to support stem cell research, provide health insurance for mammograms, restrict strip searches and expand eligibility for the Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled program. […] one of the leaders last year of the effort to save the life of Congo, a German Shepherd condemned as a vicious dog after mauling a landscaper.” His staff seem to have liked him anyway (apart from the receptionist who found the child abuse images in her desk, unless she was one of the ones who just got tired of it having apparently happened multiple times even there at the office). “Let me just give you one statement. This is how I feel. I have nothing but respect for Neil. I have no comment on any of the accusations,” said Gleshia Givens, his chief of staff. He did 1 yr, 2 months of a 5 year sentence (Nov 4, 2010 to Jan 4, 2012) that’s for multiple counts of possession and distribution of CSAM of very young children. Could have faced 30, sentenced to 5. Just one year and two months. I have to wonder if this case resulting in, albeit minimal incarceration is due to the fact it is the sole exception to the apparent media blackout that went on for over 30 years in New Jersey often right in Union County, New Jersey where Joseph Galfy allegedlly drugged and raped Kai. Seeing as he died when, as per New Jersey law, Kai fought him off in a drugged stupor. He didn’t even realize that he was dead until being questioned, as evidenced by an odd sigh of relief when he hears that the attorney, friend of the judge and public defender and prosecutor alike, was dead.
https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases09/pr20090709a.html In a plea agreement, the state dropped the official misconduct charge and three of four child pornography counts, and on April 12, 2010, Cohen pleaded guilty to the charge of endangering the welfare of a child by distributing child pornography. Facing 30, sentenced to 5, did 14 months. only result in google news search for “neil m. cohen” https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/nyregion/30journal.html missing sites from wikipedia related to sex crimes
3.) In Re Haldusiewicz 185 NJ 278 (2005) KAI: Deputy NJ Attorney General Joseph J. Haldusiewicz was caught with 996 images of small child porn ON HIS PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE COMPUTER. He got his wrist slapped with a 6 month suspension; then went right back to practicing law. The Newspapers never reported it.
should be suspended from the practice of law for a period of six months based on his plea of guilty in Superior Court to violation of N.J.S.A 2C:24-4(b)(5)(b) (fourth-degree endangering the welfare of a child), conduct in violation of RPC 8.4(b) (criminal act that reflects adversely on honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer); https://cite.case.law/nj/185/278/ no results in google news search for Joseph Haldusiewicz,
“A forensic examination of Joe’s desktop computer found a total of 996 images of child pornography. The examination also observed numerous homosexual and adult pornographic images. The examiner concluded that because of the volume of suspected child pornography found, that much more would be discovered if the examination continued.
6 mo. suspension of law degree, Judge Harold W. Fullilove of the Superior Court criminally punished Joey by presenting him with three years of probation and a $1500 fine. The real punishment in Joey’s opinion was Fullilove’s order that he was prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with children under the age of sixteen.”
Yet another case where it was literally done on office time on state of New Jersey computers:
“Mr. Haldusiewicz was using the shared computer when a BPU employee walked into the office. The defendant appeared ’pale and surprised’ and immediately shut down the computer with the power button instead of doing a proper shutdown.
On July 18, 2003, Judge Fullilove sentenced respondent to a three-year term of probation. $1,500 and total costs of The court also imposed a fine of $157, and further ordered that respondent have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of sixteen. Respondent was also directed to continue psychological treatment.
In New Jersey, attorneys who have pleaded to or been found guilty of child pornography offenses have been suspended for periods ranging from six months to two years.”
We respectfully dissent from the majority’s determination that respondent should receive a six-month suspension for his misconduct. Our disagreement with the majority is two-fold. First, we do not agree with the majority’s premise that respondent’s illegal conduct was not related to his duties as a public servant. Second, although disciplinary cases are factsensitive and must be decided on a case by case basis, possession, of child pornography is a very serious offense that, absent special circumstances, should be met with a long-term suspension. In our view, the six-month suspension imposed by the majority is insufficient. In two child-pornography cases decided by the Court in 2003, In re Rosanelli, 176 N.J. 275 (2003) and In re Peck, 177 N.J. 249 (2003), we expressed our opinion that at least a two-year suspension is warranted for this serious crime, which demeans and exploits children.
We are unable to agree with the OAE’s position that discipline should be “enhanced” because of respondent’s (former)’ position as a deputy attorney general. We do not believe we should create two levels of discipline, one for the private bar, another for state employees, for the same offense. It is true that, in the past, attorneys who held positions .of public trust and were guilty of unethical conduct received enhanced levels of discipline because of their violation of that trust. That, however, should not be the case here. Respondent’s misconduct had no bearing on his work as a deputy attorney general. […] Although respondent’s misconduct occurred in his workplace, it did not ’ Rb refers to respondent’s brief to us. involve his duties as a public servant. We find it unnecessary and unfair to increase the level ~f discipline for respondent simply because he was a state employee.
In June 2003, respondent was suspended for six months as a result of his conviction of fourth degree endangering the welfare of a child. In re Rosanelli, 176 N.J. 275 (2003). The criminal charge was the result of respondent’s having downloaded twenty-three pictures of children engaged in various sexual acts. On March 26, 2004, he was reinstated to the practice of law. In re Rosanelli, 179 N.J. 289 (2004). On October 23, 2009, respondent was temporarily suspended, effective November 23, 2009, until he satisfied an award of a district fee arbitration committee and paid a $500 sanction to the Disciplinary Oversight Committee. In re Rosanelli, 200 N.J. 439 (2009). On September 22, 2010, in a default matter, the Supreme Court imposed a three-month suspension on respondent for gross 11/12/2012 https://casetext.com/case/in-the-matter-of-donald-s-rosanelli
“Don was involved in various non-profit organizations and causes dedicated to the environment and national policy.” Community activism is a thread I see multiple times. Especially concerning when one of the crimes against children, victims were groomed and targeted when the wrist-slapped child molester was a “volunteer” coach for a charity league.
Ordered restored to law practice also ordered to pay administrative and other costs to disciplinary review board.
ORDERED that respondent shall not be reinstated to the practice of law unless and until he satisfies the fee arbitration. award and sanction as Ordered by this Court on October 23, 2009, and September 22, 2010, and it is further Donald S Rosanelli, same child porn charge as Haldusiewicz, same 6 month suspension, same practicing law. No Newspapers. (no results in google news for “donald s. rosanelli” or “donald rosanelli” 5.) In Re Armour 192 NJ 218 (2006) https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59146f8eadd7b0493434c23c
KAI: 6 mo. suspension, cited in Neil M. Cohen Frank L Armour, same as Haldusiewicz and Rosanelli, child porn, 6 months, back to practicing law. No Newspapers. [At this point, you’re probably realizing their kiddie porn ring has newspaper editors in their pocket. But wait ’til you hear the next one…] 7.) In Re Ruddy 130 NJ 85 (1992) KAI: Jeffrey P Ruddy sexually assaulted SEVERAL prepubescent boys, but was only suspended from practicing law for 2 years. No Newspapers covered this. [NO GODDAM MOTHERFUCKING NEWSPAPERS COVERED THIS]
In Re Ruddy 130 NJ 85 (1992) (Also cited in In re Witherspoon, 203 N.J. 343, 3 A.3d 496 (2010): Witherspoon-The charges included in the three-count complaint can be summarized briefly. Count One charged respondent David Witherspoon with sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and conflicts of interest, in violation of RPC 1.7(a)(2), RPC 4.4, RPC 8.4(d), and RPC 8.4(g). Count Two charged respondent with practicing law while ineligible based on respondent’s failure to pay the required annual assessment to the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, in violation of RPC 5.5(a)(1) and RPC 8.4(d). Count Three charged respondent with recordkeeping violations comprised of failing to maintain fully descriptive client ledgers, failing to conduct monthly trust account reconciliations and failing to maintain a running balance in the trust account checkbook ledger, all in violation of Rule 1:21-6 and RPC 1.15(d). Respondent admitted that he had practiced for more than a year while ineligible, arguing in mitigation that this was merely due to oversight. He also conceded that he had failed to properly maintain his books and records, offering in mitigation that he *346rarely used the trust account because of the nature of his practice and that no client had been harmed or had even complained about the way in which trust funds were handled. We have, in the past, imposed shorter periods of suspension as the sanction for other types of sexual criminal convictions. See, e.g.
In June 1987, the Essex County Grand Jury returned a fifteen-count indictment against respondent, charging him with seven counts of second degree sexual assault (N.J.S.A. 2C:!4-2b) and eight counts of the third degree crime of endangering the welfare of a child (N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4). The alleged victims were four pre-teenage boys who knew respondent through his service as a volunteer athletic coach. The fifteenth count of the indictment.
The respondent, over a two-and one half year period, without the consent of the children, touched three of them on their bare buttocks and touched a fourth on both his bare buttocks and penis. The children were visitors in respondent’s home when the offenses occurred and ranged in age between ten and twelve years.
June 28, 1991, sentenced to four concurrent terms… of five years’ probation. That’s right, sentenced to probation and psychotherapy and ordered to have no involvement with youth groups (many of these predators were involved in charitable groups and activism, as I mentioned earlier, likely for reputation laundering in part, as well as access to victims in some cases. That was only ordered “while on probation” in the DRB docket.
It was in Ruddy, I ran across “In re X” which perked my interest. Why don’t we have a name for this lawyer who raped his daughters for years?
In In re X, 120 N.__~J. 459 (1990), the attorney had sexually assaulted his three daughters… for years.
“Pursuant to a plea agreement, respondent pled guilty on September 28, 1988, to three counts of second-degree sexual assault. At the plea hearing, he admitted that he had sexually assaulted his three daughters, one of whom was under the age of thirteen years, and two of whom were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years at the time of the assaults. He was sentenced on February 22, 1989, to three concurrent terms of five years at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Avenel.”
As promised, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are 11 more names on the list for now, there may be more and Kai and I are both tracking them down as well. Stay tuned for future installments related to this series uncovering what seems to be a possible pedophile ring featuring prominent politicians, judges and prosecutors who are getting slaps on the wrist when people getting beat and raped in Union County Jail are not getting justice.
Phil Fairbanks: portfolio 