Once Again, OFAC Was Very Late to the Game in Addressing Lakewood's Attorney Pay Abuses. Lodi Was Committing the Same Violations for Decades (At a Smaller Cost Scale Compared to Lakewood). OFAC Doesn't Do Its Job Until it is Publicly Shamed into Doing Something.

 

Link to recent article about Lakewood:

Lakewood board attorney Michael Inzelbuch new pact blocked by monitor

Link to OFAC report about Lakewood:

OFACReport-RELegalServicesContract-February252025.pdf

The Lodi Board of Education was committing the same violations (at as smaller cost scale compared to Lakewood) until I shamed OFAC into taking some action.

Link to 2017 article from northjersey.com:

Lodi: School board working on legal contract corrective action plan

Link to 2017 OFAC report and corrective action plan for the Lodi Board of Education:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rsibgv_9q_dG1RX3ViY3NiWjA/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-D_RW1_FMi3WFg0XURx-Yzg

I had told the Record reporter at the time that I had flagged Anthony Scirarrillo's billing which initiated the investigation.  The truth is I outlined all of the violations that Lodi was committing with legal billing and based it on a 2013 report from the New Jersey Comptroller's Office.  I did all the work for OFAC.  I shamed OFAC into doing something after I called out its double standard for addressing something in Bogota and ignoring the same for Lodi.

Is Lodi better off today with its handling of legal costs and practices? No. Matthew Giacobbe engages in very dishonest practices as outlined on this blog over the years.  He bills worse than other firms.  He is retained without any competitive procurement processes.  He illegally redacts invoices and other public records that other firms would never attempt to redact.  He engages in bad pay-to-play for his contracts.  And he gets away with it by making members of the legislature Partners in his firm.  There is no accountability from the State or from the Board of Education with regards to his billing and practices.