What to Know
- A local mayor is calling for a federal criminal investigation into New Jersey’s Deputy Senate Majority Leader
- The call for the probe comes amid allegations State Sen. Nicholas Scutari repeatedly failed to show up for work as Linden’s prosecutor
- Scutari was fired from the job earlier this year
A local mayor is calling for a federal criminal investigation into New Jersey’s Deputy Senate Majority Leader amid allegations he repeatedly failed to show up for work as Linden’s prosecutor.
An audit conducted for the Linden Town Council alleges State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) failed to show up for his job as Linden’s municipal prosecutor dozens of times. Mayor Derek Armstead released a letter Tuesday calling for a federal criminal investigation saying Scutari’s alleged actions were “egregious.”
“Scutari committed potentially unlawful acts by not appearing for logged work time for which he was both compensated and pension-credited with public money,” Mayor Armstead wrote in his letter to US Attorney Craig Carpenito.
The audit released by the mayor shows Scutari took 57 unapproved days off in 2018, 64 in 2017 and 20 in 2016 in addition to his approved time off. The mayor alleges taxpayers were ripped off more than $147,000 from 2014-18 amid the “low-show” job allegations.
Scutari was fired from the job earlier this year. He did not return calls for comment. At the time he lost his job as municipal prosecutor, he told the New Jersey Record he was fired for “political differences.” As state senator and deputy leader, Scutari also serves as Chair of the Judiciary Committee. He also has a law degree from Western Michigan University, according to his legislative website.
Armstead called for the State Senate to suspend from his role as Judiciary Chairman. In addition to the US Attorney, the mayor also sent a copy of his complaint letter to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
