NEWS RELEASE

Governor Jon S. Corzine

July 14, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sean Darcy

Jim Gardner

609-777-2600

GOVERNOR CORZINE SLATED FOR OFFICIAL VISIT TO ISRAEL

TRENTON -- Governor Jon S. Corzine will embark on his first official visit to Israel this week, with a focus on identifying new opportunities to foster trade, investment and commercial relationships between New Jersey and Israel .

The Governor will concentrate on business opportunities in industries that include stem cell research, alternative energy, green technologies, and research and development in other high technology fields. During his visit, Governor Corzine will meet and open dialogue with high-level government officials and key business leaders.

“ New Jersey ’s unique position as a gateway to the nation’s major markets offers us a tremendous opportunity to forge new economic relationships that will be beneficial to all concerned,” Corzine said. “ Israel has emerged as one of our state’s most important partners in terms of both economic and cultural exchanges, and I look forward to furthering those relationships.”

In addition to economic development opportunities, Governor Corzine looks to strengthen cultural ties during the visit. New Jersey entered into its first sister-state agreement with Israel in 1988, and since then, has signed five additional Memoranda of Understanding to provide platforms for bilateral initiatives in the areas of the life sciences, high-technology, research and development, environmental technology, culture and educational exchanges.

Israel is one of New Jersey ’s top international markets, growing 195 percent from 2006 to 2007. Israel now ranks as New Jersey ’s ninth largest trading partner in 2007, up from 22nd in 2006.

The Governor’s schedule will include stops in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as several other cities in Israel .  Traveling at the invitation of the Government of the State of Israel, the Governor’s visit is being organized in cooperation and partnership with the Consulate General of the State of Israel in New York .

Governor Corzine is tentatively schedule to depart July 19.

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Division of Criminal Justice                                               
Deborah Gramiccioni, Director

For Immediate Release:                                                                 For Further Information Contact:
July 14, 2008                                                                                Peter Aseltine (609) 292-4791

FORMER CHIEF JUDGE AND FORMER ADMINISTRATOR OF JERSEY CITY MUNICIPAL COURT
INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY FIXING PARKING TICKETS

TRENTON – Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that a state grand jury today returned separate indictments charging former Chief Judge Wanda Molina and former Court Administrator Virginia Pagan of the Jersey City Municipal Court with official misconduct for allegedly fixing parking tickets.

According to Criminal Justice Director Deborah Gramiccioni, Molina, 49, of Jersey City, was charged with two counts of second-degree official misconduct, one count of second-degree pattern of official misconduct, one count of third-degree tampering with public records or information, and one count of fourth-degree falsifying records.

Pagan, 53, of Jersey City, was charged in a separate indictment with second-degree official misconduct, third-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree tampering with public records or information, and fourth-degree falsifying records.

“When court officials engage in ticket fixing, it shakes the faith of average citizens who pay up when they get a ticket,” said Attorney General Milgram. “Today’s indictments send a message that these defendants are not above the law and there is indeed one system of justice to which all must answer.”

The indictment against Molina alleges that between September 2006 and August 2007, she took judicial action to dismiss eight parking tickets that were issued to a close personal companion.  The Court Rules and the Code of Judicial Conduct strictly prohibit judges from hearing cases if they have any personal interest in them or if anyone close to them does.  It is further alleged that Molina wrote the word “emergency” on three of the tickets, falsely indicating that there were compelling circumstances to justify the illegal parking, when in fact there were not. 

The second indictment alleges that between November 1999 and July 2007, Pagan used her official position as municipal court administrator to access the court’s computer record system and make entries dismissing 215 parking tickets that had been issued to her and her daughter.  Pagan’s duties included entering dispositions on tickets after they had been adjudicated by a judge.  No judicial determinations had been made on the tickets she dismissed for herself and her daughter.  The state’s investigation found that the potential fines on the tickets exceeded $5,000.

The second-degree official misconduct counts against Molina and Pagan carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000.

Because both defendants are charged with counts of second-degree official misconduct that allege criminal conduct that occurred, in part, after April 14, 2007 – the effective date of the state’s new public corruption sentencing enhancement law – they face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison if convicted of that conduct.  Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the law in March 2007 to significantly enhance the punishment of government officials who are convicted of abusing their office and violating the public trust.

“We charge that these defendants repeatedly violated the law in order to benefit themselves and those close to them,” said Director Gramiccioni.  “Fortunately, a tip put an end to their alleged abuses. We encourage anyone who suspects public corruption to report it to us.”

Hudson County Assignment Judge Maurice J. Gallipoli initially investigated allegations regarding irregularities in the disposition of tickets in Jersey City Municipal Court. He referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Office.

Molina and Pagan resigned from their court positions in September 2007 after their alleged misconduct came to light.

The case was investigated by Detective Lisa Cawley and Sgt. Lisa A. Shea of the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Asha Vaghela is handling the case for the Attorney General and presented it to the state grand jury.

Third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine, while fourth-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine

The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The indictments were handed up to Superior Court Judge Maria Marinari Sypek in Mercer County.  Molina’s case was assigned to Bergen County, and Pagan’s was assigned to Hudson County.  They will be ordered to appear in court at a later date to answer the charges.

Copies of the indictments are available with this press release at www.njpublicsafety.com.

Attorney General Milgram noted that the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau has established a toll-free Corruption Tipline for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. The statewide Corruption Tipline is 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing. All information received through the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will remain confidential.

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Founder of PUMA Will Bowers , my guest this coming Tuesday on my radio show "Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres",  Mr Bowers will be discussing their opposition to the candidacy of Barack Obama.

Will Bower is spokesperson for P.U.M.A., which stands for "party unity my ass," an organization he founded and launched on Facebook and that is made up largely of Hillary Clinton supporters. P.U.M.A. is now part of the larger Just Say No Deal coalition of groups that coalesced after Clinton officially suspended her campaign and that are united in their opposition to the candidacy of Barack Obama.

 Bower is a contributor to OffTheBus and was an administrator for the main Hillary Clinton Facebook group, "Hillary Clinton for President; One Million Strong." In February, Bower, who says he is "obsessive-compulsive" about how the "mathematics of election systems reflect democracy," wrote a brief opinion piece at Newsvine on the "seriously flawed [Democratic Party primary] system, which is just not proportional," arguing that the superdelegates should right the process by declaring for Clinton.

In the weeks since he founded PUMA and became one of the Just Say No Deal coalition spokespeople, Bower has become an intermittent guest on the major cable news networks, talking on the anger felt by the people he represents and on the coalition's motivations and plans. Together with a group of roughly 70 P.U.M.A. voters, Bower met last week with Senator John McCain, which he characterized on Fox News as very "reassuring." OffTheBus spoke with Bower this past week.

 “Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres" is an open forum where topics on politics, immigration,  health, education, and other global issues, that affect our country and the world at large, are discussed and debated at  local, national, and global levels. "Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres"  airs  every Tuesday  evening from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

To listen to the program go to  www.blogtalkradio.com/LETSGETREALWITHREUBENTORRES

All are welcome to participate by calling (347)  327-9003

Christine Todd Whitman  is the President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG),  my guest this coming Monday on my radio show "Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres " will discuss  politics, The United States presidential election of 2008, the RLC, and the environment.

Christine Todd Whitman is the President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues. WSG offers a comprehensive set of solutions to problems facing businesses, organizations, and governments; they have been at the forefront of helping leading companies find innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

She is also co-chair of the Republican Leadership Council (RLC), which she founded with Senator John Danforth and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. The RLC’s mission is to support fiscally conservative, socially tolerant candidates and to reclaim the word Republican.  The RLC was created in March of 2007 by joining forces with Governor Whitman’s political action committee, It’s My Party Too. She is the author of a New York Times best seller by the same name, which was published in January of 2005 and released in paperback in March 2006.

Governor Whitman served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from January of 2001 until June of 2003. She was the 50th Governor of the State of New Jersey , serving as its first woman governor from 1994 until 2001.

Governor Whitman is on the Steering Committee of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey; the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Fellowships; the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations; the Governing Board of the Park City Center for Public Policy; and is a member of the Board of the New America Foundation. She was also the Co-Chair for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force, More Than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa as well as the Aspen Health Stewardship Project, which was released in February of 2008. She co-chairs Clean and Safe Energy (CASE) with Dr. Patrick Moore.

“Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres" is an open forum where topics on politics, immigration,  health, education, and other global issues, that affect our country and the world at large, are discussed and debated at  local, national, and global levels. "Lets Get Real With Reuben Torres"  will  air  this Monday  evening from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm .

To listen to the program go to  www.blogtalkradio.com/LETSGETREALWITHREUBENTORRES

All are welcome to participate by calling (347)  327-9003