Prosecutor’s Office Clarifies Curley Corruption Allegations

Charles Webster, spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office issued the following statement to MMM regarding our stories today about former Assemblyman Michael Panter’s allegations against Monmouth County Freeholder John P. Curley:

Some corrections are necessary for the story published today concerning Mr. Panter’s assertions regarding Realty Data Systems and Freeholder John Curley.

At the outset, it is important to note that Mr. Panter was previously advised that the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office would refer any allegation concerning Freeholder John Curley to the state Attorney General’s Office.  It is common for County Prosecutors to make such referrals to avoid any potential conflict of interest  due to the fact that Freeholders serve as a funding source for County Prosecutors’ Offices.

The fact that the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office forwarded this matter to the Attorney General does not in any way indicate that our office has concluded that these allegations have or do not have any merit.

It is also asserted by Mr. Panter in the article that the “FBI and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office have conducted at least five interviews into the conduct of Freeholder John P. Curley and former Monmouth County Counsel Timothy B. Middleton, Esq.”  That is inaccurate – the MCPO referred the allegations to the state Attorney General’s Office and did not conduct any investigation into the conduct of Freeholder Curley or former County Counsel Middleton. 

Panter, who made the allegations in his role as in-house counsel of Realty Data Systems, LLC, has not yet responded to a call for comment.

The stories referred to by the Prosecutor’s Office can be found, here and here.