Link to video:
Dirty money leaves people very miserable as
illustrated by Nancy Cardone.
Monday, November 27, 2023
CAC Presents Nancy Cardone's Double Standards and Hypocrisy. And Nastiness.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Charles Cuccia’s “Treasury Services” Didn’t Even Exist Until Tony Luna Set Up the Corrupt Arrangement for Lodi in 2012. Current Paid Borough Employees/Contractors Alan Spiniello, Frank DiMaria, and Marc Schrieks Really Need to Provide Some Evidence at this Point to Show that they Didn’t Perjure Themselves in Return for Luna Employment...
There were no job postings.
There was no procurement process.
The Luna administration only considered and accepted
one proposal in 2012. Luna only received one proposal because he only sought one proposal- from his close personal friend and mentor of his daughter. The one proposal came from Charles
Cuccia’s Treasury Services LLC which was just formed for the sole purpose of
cashing in on Lodi. It was a way to pay
Tony Luna’s daughter as Treasurer through an LLC because she was not qualified
to be Treasurer at the time. It was a way
to pay Charles Cuccia’s wife to do his job because he was too busy in Saddle River
and everywhere else at the time.
It's amazing to see the revisionist history 11 year
later.
I attended every council meeting in 2012. Tony Luna was the lead on the matter. The Lodi mayor and council argued that they
did not have to post hirings (Charles Cuccia and Sherri Luna) and other public
information provided by other towns because in Lodi’s form of government the
Manager, Tony Luna, was responsible. Never
once did Tony Luna state that he was recusing himself when the subject came up. In 2012, he wouldn’t even disclose that his
daughter was being paid by Lodi.
For current paid Lodi employees/contractors Marc Schrieks,
Alan Spiniello and Frank DiMaria, if Tony Luna was not involved in the awarding
of the contract and the hiring of his daughter, the matter can easily be
settled right now. All you have to do is
produce one audio tape from any meeting where Tony Luna recused himself in any manner
in which either of you testified under oath.
I attended every regular meeting at the time and many work
sessions. It never happened. If it happened during at any closed session,
that is not confidential and should be made public.
Nepotism Nancy Cardone Has Moved the Board Backwards in Every Way, Including the Filling of Board Vacancies.
Link to video:
Citizens
Against Corruption | Facebook
Nancy Cardone has the worst conflicts of interest in the State of
New Jersey for any board member. She
should not be dictating any policy. She
doesn’t even belong on the stage. She
has trampled on the public’s right to transparency and fairness time and time
again. Not only is she corrupt- but she is also nasty, disrespectful and arrogant as shown in the video. Then she wonders why people are calling her Nancy Pelosi.
The new interim business administrator, Michael Rinderknecht, has already proven to be a terrible choice for Lodi. A decent BA would not be interfering with the role of board members in order to assist Nancy Cardone in an unfair process of hand selecting Nancy Cardone’s neighbor. These paid hacks need to understand their roles and stay out of politics while on the taxpayers' dime.
Matthew Giacobbe has once again shown that he is not a
Board Attorney but rather just a prostitute.
He is doing anything that Nancy wants because Nancy pays him whatever he
wants. Throughout New Jersey, good
government advocates are now shining light on Matthew Giacobbe’s abuses.
Sean Spiller is Compensated Hundreds of Thousands from the NJEA. News Reports Imply He Was Either Stealing Health Benefits or $5,000 Annual Waivers from Montclair as a Part-Time Elected Official. If True, How Can He Not Possibly Be Charged by Murphy's Attorney General Matthew Platkin?
Link to story:
Health
insurance payments for Montclair councilors may have run to six figures -
Montclair Local
The NJEA spent six figures filing frivolous complaints
against this blog and my first amendment rights while it appears its President is
committing crimes against the State’s taxpayers.
Alan Spiniello Is Paid Over $237,000/year for Part-Time Legal Work by the Lodi Taxpayers Without Submitting Invoices for Hourly Billing. Alan Spiniello Was Called as a Witness for the Luna Family to Lie for the Luna Family.
Alan Spiniello
Alan Spiniello (Spiniello) is an attorney and was the Borough attorney during the relevant time herein. Spiniello testified that as Borough Attorney he has been Borough attorney since 2009, and regularly attends mayor and council meetings for the Borough. He stated that he was familiar with the circumstances leading up to the Borough appointing Cuccia and the contract with Treasury Services. Spiniello testified that Cuccia was well known in the municipal finance community as he had a CPA and had been chief financial officer for several other municipalities in New Jersey. Spiniello further testified that Cuccia had been borough manager for the Borough in the past.
Spiniello stated it was his professional opinion that the Borough’s contract with Treasury Services was not subject to competitive bidding because it involved professional services and computer software upgrades. Spiniello also testified that he was responsible for negotiating all of the contracts with Treasury Services, Cuccia and Biondi in 2012 and subsequent contracts with Treasury Services in later years, and that Luna did not participate in the Borough meetings concerning the same. He stated that Luna did not want to be involved in any Borough discussions regarding Treasury Services and Cuccia because his daughter, Biondi had worked for them. Spiniello stated:
Q: Do you recall Mr. Luna excusing himself during -- at any point when the mayor and council discussed these proposals?
A: Yes, from the very inception -- when the proposal came in, the first time Mr. Luna had an opportunity to speak about it he immediately mentioned that, you know, “I just want to let you know that I have a potential conflict, I’m not going to take part in this discussion. My daughter, Sheri Biondi, has done some part time work for Mr. Cuccia,” …
Frank Dimaria- Hired by the Luna Family, Called as a Witness by the Luna Family, and Lied for the Luna Family...
Frank DiMaria
Frank DiMaria (DiMaria) testified on behalf of Luna. He stated that he has been a certified public accountant (CPA) for over forty-years, and has an accounting firm, DiMaria and associates. DiMaria testified that he is a registered municipal accountant and a public school licensed public accountant. He stated that he specializes in providing accounting services to public sector clients. DiMaria has been the public auditor for the Borough since 1999.
DiMaria testified as to the events that occurred in 2012 when the Borough CFO and Budget Officer retired. As explained by DiMaria, the retirement of both individuals in 2012 resulted in the Borough appointing Cuccia and Treasury Services to resolve the issue of not having a CFO and Budget Officer. DiMaria stated that the Borough Council had no concerns working with Cuccia giving his strong reputation in the municipal finance community. On direct examination DiMaria answered as follows concerning Cuccia:
Q: Okay. And based on your decades in the business, what is your -- what is his reputation ?
A: Charles Cuccia?
Q: Yeah.
A: Charles Cuccia has been known as a top notch --official, administrator and CFO, auditor, accountant, manager, he serves (out of microphone range) -- reputation for many, many years. I have a lot of respect for him and he’s very well respected in the finance community.
[1T:134:5-18]
DiMaria stated that in addition to Cuccia he helped with the search for a CFO, but Cuccia and Treasury Services proved to be the “best fit” for the Borough. DiMaria further confirmed that Luna played no role or part in the engagement of Treasury Services or appointments of Cuccia to CFO and Biondi to Treasurer, having recused himself from all matters before the Borough Council relating to same.
DiMaria stated the following on direct examination:
Q: To your knowledge did Tony Luna recommend that the mayor and council hire Charles Cuccia as CFO?
A: No.
Q: To your knowledge did Tony Luna recommend that the mayor and council appoint Sheryl Biondi as treasurer?
A: No. Understand, these council people knew Charles [Cuccia], they were working (out of microphone range) they all knew how long he’s been around. He was not a stranger to the council, so it’s not like he needed an introduction or couldn’t speak with the council one on one, or -- or not show up at a council to explain some-thing. He’s -- he’s already in the circle of these people so it’s not like a stranger was being brought in, they felt, as I did, that “Listen, if we could get a guy like this to oversee this transition we’d be lucky.” So he didn’t need a recommendation, he spoke for himself.
Q: Was Tony Luna present for any of the votes? Let me rephrase that question. Do you recall if Tony Luna was present for any of the votes that contained Mr. Cuccia’s services?
A: He -- I remember between the work sessions and the public meeting he would recuse himself when the discussions would start talking about this and Sheri was part of it.
Q: Did he say why he was recusing himself?
A (Out of microphone range) -- he just said, “I’ll let you guys talk this out, I’m going to step back.”
Q: Everybody knew what?
A: Everybody knew why he would step out, he was recusing himself so we could talk about dealing with the contract -- that his daughter was part of it and it would -- confidence, so he stepped out, voluntarily. It was a regular thing twice a month.
[1T:138:5-25; 139:1-14]
On cross motion, DiMaria testified that in 2012 the Borough search was a “combination” of the CMFO, treasurer and Budget Officer. DiMaria stated:
Q: In 2012 was there also a search for a company other than Treasury Services to perform the financial tasks for the borough?
A: Was there a search for -- I don’t think so, Idon’t remember. We would’ve entertained anything, though, any -- any combination of qualified people the borough was opened to, any combination.
Friday, November 24, 2023
When Will Scott Luna and Vinny Martin Be Endorsing Tammy Murphy for US Senate?
More Corrupt than Bob Menendez
Lodi Deputy Mayor Vinny Martin is listed as the owner
of a strip club that was busted multiple times for prostitution/cocaine, etc.
Vinny Martin has not been charged, his name has not
made any papers, and he still sits as Lodi Deputy Mayor.
Can Phil Murphy or his Attorney General explain?
The Luna family just had someone from Phil Murphy’s
Office of Attorney General sabotage the State’s case against Tony Luna. Tony
Luna had already been found guilty and fined in 2018.
Scott Luna misappropriated tens of thousands of Lodi tax dollars to pay his
father’s attorneys for appeal. Murphy’s Office of
Attorney General rigged the hearing to benefit Luna and undermine the former
Local Finance Board. Read the decision for yourselves. Look at the State's witnesses and the transcript of questioning.
Can Phil Murphy or his Attorney General explain?
Phil Murphy corrupted our State Government in ways
unimaginable. He has intervened on
behalf of corrupt Lodi politicians time and time again.
Phil Murphy’s blatant corruption makes him a lot worse
than Bob Menendez.
So, when will Vinny Martin and Scott Luna be endorsing
Tammy Murphy for US Senate?
Phil Murphy’s Appointees Stepped in And Saved Tony Luna from His $1,000 Ethics Fine. The Worst Form of Blatant Corruption. Tony Luna, Marc Schrieks, Charles Cuccia, Frank DiMaria, and Alan Spiniello All Perjured Themselves. Nobody Should Every Again Trust or Believe Anything Said By Any of Them.
Past post on the subject:
An ALJ decision recently posted on-line (although
dated August 22, 2023) shows that Phil Muphy’s Office of Attorney General worked on behalf of Tony Luna instead of the former Local Finance
Board. The State only called Dana Jones and Sheryl
Luna as its witnesses. Sheryl Luna was
asked only one question. Dana Jones is
new to the job and had nothing to do with the previous investigation, decision , and fine. The State did not call one person from the
Local Finance Board that was part of the investigation that found Tony Luna and
Charles Cuccia guilty of ethics violations.
The State did not call one investigator as a witness from the New Jersey
Comptroller’s office that triggered the initial investigation. The State did not call me as a witness when I
have all of public records posted on this blog proving blatant
ethics violations. Prior to Murphy
becoming Governor, I had State investigators from the Comptroller’s Office
calling me and emailing me for years about records I had posted on this
blog. A few years ago, an investigator
with the State called me about a post and told me that Tony Luna and Charles
Cuccia should not be using Lodi tax dollars to fund their appeal after being
fined $1,000 and $1,200 respectively.
Please read this crooked decision from Julio Morejon:
njlaw.rutgers.edu/collections/oal/html/initial/cfb01867-19_1.html
Meeting minutes, residents attending council meetings
at the time, the former Comptroller’s Office, the former Local Finance Board,
and others can all prove that:
Tony Luna perjured himself.
Marc Schrieks perjured himself.
Alan Spiniello perjured himself.
Frank Dimaria perjured himself.
Each that was called as a witness for the Luna family and lied for the Luna family is paid by the Luna family with your Lodi tax dollars.
Tony Luna never recused himself from anything
regarding this matter. I
attended every council meeting at the time in question. I was the first person to expose the corrupt
arrangement at a council meeting after someone from Borough Hall tipped me off
that Luna and Marc Schrieks were intentionally hiding it from the public.
Residents of New Jersey should never trust Phil Murphy’s
Attorney General to fairly investigate anyone or anything. Phil Murphy and his AGs Office are as corrupt
as they come as illustrated in the proceeding above.
Charles Cuccia is Just So Credible, He Had to Change His Story on a Cross Examination. What a Joke!
Cuccia provided the following testimony:
Q: So back in the early 2012 time frame, were you otherwise employed elsewhere?
A: Yes. In 2012 I was employed as the administrator and CFO in the Borough of Saddle River and part time CFO in Maywood and part time CFO in (out of microphone range).
Q: And were you looking initially to take on another position?
A: Initially, yeah.
Q: Did you solicit the borough manager to hire Treasury Services?
A: I did not.
Q: Did you solicit the borough manager to hire you as the CFO?
A: No.
Q: At some point in time did you eventually submit a proposal to the Borough?
A: Yes.
Q: And to whom did you submit a proposal?
A: The proposal went to the borough clerk to be reviewed by [the] mayor and council. It’s the manner in which Treasury Services functions. It’s been my policy in that business that we don’t do any work without a proposal.
Q And why did you submit a proposal?
A Because I knew that the issue that they were having trying to fill the CFO’s position and the problems they were having with the planning system needed a bigger program in order to correct it and get it back on track.
[2T:16:21-17:25]
As to Biondi’s involvement with Treasury Services and her appointment by the Borough in 2012, Cuccia testified that he had a long-standing professional relationship with Biondi since 2005, and she was not “just brought in” for purposes of the proposal. Cuccia denied any “quid pro quo” arrangement with Luna regarding the Treasury Services proposal,(and stated that Luna had “no involvement” with the proposal. (2T:21:1-12).
Cuccia also testified that Luna recused himself from Borough matters involving his daughter and/or Treasury Services, and Luna did not negotiate the contracts, did not sign the contracts, and otherwise was not involved with Treasury Services, Cuccia’s engagement or the appointment of Biondi by the Borough.
On cross examination, Cuccia was presented with his answers in a certification (J-27) and Interrogatories (J-25) which stated that the proposals were presented to Luna and then the mayor and council. On redirect, Cuccia then testified that presenting the proposals to Luna meant Luna agreed to receive them for submission to the mayor and council to be placed on the meeting agenda.
Murphy's AG Will Cover for the Mayor of Montclair Because He is the President of the NJEA. So What If He and His Council Illegaly Take Health Benefits.
Link to article:
Attorney:
Montclair mayor may take fifth in CFO lawsuit deposition (northjersey.com)
Spiller is compensated hundreds of thousands from the
NJEA. Why would Montclair taxpayers pay for
his health benefits or $5,000 annual waivers as part-time mayor? Illegally.
Marc Schrieks Swindled the Lodi Taxpayers for Years When He Illegally Attained Health Benefits as a Part-time Mayor. But Platkin Would Never Go After Him. Schrieks Bakes Cookies for Phil Murphy.
Link to past posts on the subject:
Lodi
By The Numbers: Marc Schrieks’ health benefits DECEPTION…
(lodioverhaul.blogspot.com)
Why the Double Standard Matthew Platkin? How Could You Charge Some Part-time Elected Officials with Fraudulently Attaining Health Benefits and Not Others?
Link to Platkin’s press release against Wildwood Elected Officials:
How can Matthew Platkin not charge other politicians
throughout the State that have swindled taxpayers by illegally attaining health
benefits as part-time council members.
How can Platkin not charge those in Montclair after indicting
those in Wildwood?
Matthew Platkin is a Murphy stooge that bases every action on politics- whether or not someone is a Murphy supporter.
By August 21, 2012, Charles Cuccia and Luna's Daughter Had Already Been Hired by Tony Luna Without a Council Resolution and Vote...
Link to August 21, 2012 minutes:
DownloadDocument
(lodi-nj.org)
By August 21, 2012, Charles Cuccia and Tony Luna’s daughter
were already being paid by Lodi. The
discussion in the minutes was about them and the fact their hiring was hidden from the public.
There were no resolutions at the time.
The mayor and council never voted to appoint either of them. The minutes above show that the Lodi Mayor
and Council voted to appoint Tony Luna as the “Acting Borough Treasurer” to
create a smokescreen, covering up that Tony Luna hired is daughter without any
procurement process and that Tony Luna’s daughter was NOT qualified at the
time.
Marc Schrieks stated month after month that Tony Luna
does the hiring and that they did not need to post their hirings on meeting
minutes or resolutions.
Alan Spiniello, Frank DiMaria, and Marc Schrieks are
all aware that the arrangement came from Tony Luna and NOT the mayor and council
at the time. They lied anyway while
under oath.
The Lodi Mayor and Council did not vote on any Resolutions to hire Cuccia and Luna until years later.
Phil Murphy's Deputy AG Called a Member of the Guilty Party as the State's Witness and She Was Only Asked One Question...
Sheryl
Biondi
Biondi is Luna’s
daughter she is now known as Sheryl Luna. She was known as “Sheryl Biondi”
during all relevant times herein. Biondi described her background and
qualifications, explaining that she has extensive experience in municipal
finance as a treasurer and tax collector. The Board does not dispute the same.
Regarding her
appointment as the Borough Treasurer, Biondi stated that she became Treasurer
following the retirement of the then Borough CFO and Budget Officer. She was
appointed by resolution in October 2012. Biondi stated that Cuccia as CMFO of
the Borrough oversees her duties as Borough Treasurer. Biondi stated that prior
to working as the Borough Treasurer, she was hired by Cuccia to work for
Treasury Services as an independent contractor. She described her duties at
Treasury Services as:
Q:
Can you describe the nature of that – of that work?
A: I was brought in as a consultant of Treasury Services to help
with the implementation of the new admin system and reconciliation of general
ledgers, payroll at that time, and billing for police outside duty, reconciling
public service bills wherever he needed me he hired me as a consultant.
[1T:110:1-8]
Luna testified
that she had no conversations with her father regarding her appointment as
Borough Treasurer and that her father Luna neither facilitated, recommended, or
played any role at all with respect to her appointment as Treasurer for the
Borough.
Tony Luna Never Recused Himself from Anything. He is So Full of It…
Athony Luna.
Anthony Luna (Luna) testified that he commenced his involvement in public office in 1972 when he was elected to the Lodi Board of Education, then councilman, mayor and then borough manger from 2005 to 2015. Luna stated that he did not play a role in the appointment of Treasury Services, Cuccia, or Biondi, as those appointments were made by the Borough Council and Mayor.
He stated that at the time of the Borough’s “emergency finance crisis” in 2011-2012, he participated in the search for assistance by contacting various local politicians, community leaders, and other officials well-versed in municipal finance. He confirmed that he first called Cuccia because had been Borough manager before, and he had an “excellent reputation” as an expert in municipal finance management.
Luna testified that he never solicited any contract or appointment with Treasury Services, Cuccia, or later, his daughter, Sheryl Biondi. Luna stated that he had no involvement with the submission of Treasury Services’ proposals to the Borough in 2012 and later years. He testified that he did not even see the proposals prior to consideration by Council at a public meeting. Luna stated that he did not recommend the Borough contract with Treasury Services or appoint Cuccia or Biondi to statutory positions that could only be filled by the Borough Council and Mayor.
Luna stated that the contracts with Treasury Services were negotiated by the Borough Attorney Spiniello, who also prepared the appointing resolutions. Further, Luna testified that he recused himself from any Borough business involving Treasury Services, Cuccia and his daughter, Biondi to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest, and even testified that he never wanted his daughter Biondi to work as the Borough Treasurer.
Luna provided the following testimony concerning the appointment of Biondi:
Q: Did there come a point in time when the Borough’s treasurer’s position became vacant?
A: Yes, at the same time both had retired.
Q: And who actually filled the role of treasurer?
A: Cheryl Luna, my daughter.
Q: Did you discuss this opportunity with her prior to her appointment?
A: Never did.
Q: And who appointed her?
A: Mayor and council.
Q: Did you recommend to the mayor and council that she be appointed?
A: No, I didn’t recommend, because I didn’t want her there.
Q: Why didn’t you want her there?
A: Well, Lodi is so politically volatile that I knew the political repercussions that would be out there. I didn’t want her to go through that heartache. I didn’t want to. She had her real life at the time and I didn’t want her to go through it. So that’s why she didn’t even mention it to me, because she knew it would lead to an argument.
Q: Did you facilitate her appointment in any way?
A: No way.
Q: Did you personally receive any (out of microphone range) gain or (out of microphone range) as a result of her appointment?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: Did you personally receive any (out of microphone range) gain or (out of microphone range) as a result of Treasury Services’ appointment?
A: No.
Q: Did Sherrie Biondi live with you in 2012?
A: No.
[2T:84:18-86:3]
On cross examination, Luna stated that there were times when he negotiated contracts on behalf of the borough but not on “statutory matters.” He affirmed that he did seek out Cuccia in helping him and the Borough hire a replacement for the CFO and Chief Budget Officer, because of their imminent retirement. He stated that he was not aware that the Borough’s financial system (Edmund’s system) was outdated until Cuccia and DiMaria informed him of the same and that sometime in 2012, Cuccia submitted a proposal to update the Edmund’s system. Luna testified that when Cuccia submitted the proposal he “immediately recused myself and wasn’t there for any presentation of his proposal, and I took myself out of that loop.” (2T:94:4-6).
Further on cross examination, Luna stated that there were times the Borough council and mayor would rely on his recommendations for contract services for the Borough but that he did not participate at all in the proposals submitted by Cuccia. Luna also affirmed that he knew his daughter Biondi was working for Treasury Services at the time Cuccia presented the proposal and that he informed the Borough council of the same and recused himself from any discussion.
Marc Schrieks is Just One Big Contradiction, Clearly Perjuring HImself...
Marc Schrieks
Marc Schrieks (Schrieks) is currently the Borough manager. He had been a Borough councilman, deputy mayor and mayor from 1999 through 2015. In 2012 he was “either” the mayor or deputy mayor, but in either capacity did attend the council and mayor meetings. Schrieks testified that the dual retirement of the Borough’s CFO and budget officer created a “crazy” situation because of their important roles in the Borough’s ability to conduct its financial affairs.
Schrieks testified that he was not personally involved in finding a replacement, and that Luna assumed that role as part of his duties as Borough Manger, and DiMaria because of his experience as auditor and access to a network in several municipalities. Schrieks further testified that the Borough was having difficulty in hiring a CFO and budget officer because of the antiquated accounting the Borough utilized. He further stated that the mayor and council voted to accept Cuccia’s proposal for Treasury Services; they were aware of Biondi’s involvement with Treasury Services, and Luna did not participate in the Borough’s discussions of the same.
Schrieks provided the following testimony:
Q: So did there come a point in time after consideration of the proposals submitted in 2012 that the borough mayor and council passed favorable on those resolutions?
A: There was.
Q: And was that unanimous?
A: I believe it was unanimous.
Q: Did -- did Tony Luna have any personal involvement in submitting those proposals?
A: No.
Q: Did he recuse himself at any time that Sheri Biondi was discussed?
A: Yes, he did.
Q: Did Tony Luna recommend the retention of Charles Cuccia as CPA through Treasury Services?
A: No, he did not.
Q: Now eventually there came a point in time, wasn’t it true, that Charles Cuccia was retained as the CFO; is that correct?
A Correct.
Q: And at that point he became an employee?
A: I believe so, yes.
Q: Did Tony Luna recommend Chuck Cuccia to the
mayor and council?
A: No, he didn’t. The statutory requirements are that that is an appointment of the mayor and council, of the governing body.
Q: Now there came a point in time when Sheri Biondi was appointed as treasurer at the borough; is that correct?
A: Yes.
Q: And at that point she became an employee?
A: Same process, yes.
Q: Okay. Did Tony Luna recommend the appointment of Sheri Biondi?
A: No, he did not.
Q: So who made the appointment of Sheri Biondi?
A: The mayor and council.
Q: Did Tony Luna have any personal involvement in her appointment?
A: No, he would recuse himself or step out of the meeting when we discussed the hiring of Treasury Services or -- CFO or (out of microphone range).
Q: Now you served as -- your capacity of mayor through 2015?
A: Yes, till February 2015.
Q: Okay. So any subsequent proposals to provide financial services by Charles Cuccia as CPA through Treasury Services, through the day of your retirement you would’ve been involved in as mayor and -- as part of mayor and council?
A: Yes, yes.