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TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that a paid political consultant
pleaded guilty today to arranging for deceptive
“robocalls” to be made to over
12,000 voters, attacking the two Republican
incumbents in the June 2009 primary race for
state Assembly in the 40th Legislative District.
Kevin
Collins, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., formerly
of Wood-Ridge, N.J., pleaded guilty today
before Superior Court Judge Donna Gallucio
in Passaic County to a criminal complaint
charging him with violating the Fair Campaign
Practices Act, a disorderly persons offense.
In accordance with the plea agreement, Judge
Gallucio immediately sentenced Collins to
one year of probation and ordered him to
pay a $1,000 fine. Collins was also ordered,
as a condition of probation, to apologize
in writing to the primary victim of the
deceptive robocalls, Ann Mary O’Rourke,
former chief of staff to Assemblyman Scott
Rumana. In return, the state dismissed a
fourth-degree charge of impersonation contained
in a June 17, 2010 indictment. The charges
resulted from an investigation by the Division
of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State
Police.
In
pleading guilty, Collins, who was a paid
political consultant for Republican challengers
Joe Caruso and Anthony Rottino, admitted
that he was responsible for automated “robocalls”
attacking the Republican incumbents, Assemblymen
Scott Rumana and David Russo. He admitted
that he obtained the cell phone number of
Rumana’s chief of staff, O’Rourke,
and provided it to an independent, out-of-state
robocall service so that it would appear
that the automated phone message originated
from her.
The
robocall went to over 12,000 residents of
the 40th District on the day of the primary,
June 2, 2009. The call made disparaging
remarks about the incumbents and encouraged
recipients to vote against them. The call
did not identify the campaign or political
organization responsible for it, but featured
the voice of a woman who identified herself
as “Ann” and falsely displayed
O’Rourke’s cell phone number
in the caller I.D. as the purported source
of the robocalls.
Deputy
Attorney General Jeffrey J. Manis took the
guilty plea for the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Bureau. The investigation
was conducted by Deputy Attorney General
Manis and the State Police Official Corruption
Bureau North Unit.
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