For Immediate Release:
Long before the Bridgegate and Hoboken scandals, the Christie Administration has been ducking a $245,000 pension probe that implicates Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
In its ongoing investigation of "Doublegate" that began in October 2010, New Jersey Watchdog has reported:
· As a county sheriff, Guadagno made false and contradictory statements that enabled her top aide to collect pension checks in addition to public salary. The subterfuge cost a state pension fund $245,000.
· Based on available evidence – including records showing Guadagno's involvement – a state pension board asked authorities in May 2011 to begin a criminal investigation.
· Christie failed to appoint a special prosecutor to conduct the probe. Instead, a conflict-riddled investigation fell to the attorney general's Division of Criminal Justice, where Guadagno had previously served as deputy director.
· Thirty-two months later, the results of the probe remain a state secret. The Christie entourage has stonewalled inquiries, even refusing to acknowledge whether the investigation is ongoing or completed.
A New Jersey Watchdog reporter is suing DCJ for records in Mercer County Superior Court. State lawyers are arguing to keep all information about the probe confidential indefinitely.
For the full story, links to all 20 New Jersey Watchdog reports on Doublegate are online at http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2014/01/21/before-bridgegate-and-hoboken-scandals-there-was-doublegate/
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