UPDATE: John Paff wrote a letter to the Presiding Judge of the Monmouth County Municipal Courts concerning this matter.
A municipal Judge in Middletown Township, NJ (Monmouth County) is renting his law office from the Municipal Prosecutor - a conflict of interest that means any case they have ever handled is now questionable. This story reeks of New Jersey political corruption and cronyism.
While facing a prosecution in Middletown Township Municipal Court relating to my usage of Medical Marijuana (that my doctor in California recommends I use in the treatment of my serious illness - but that's a separate issue entirely) I have become aware of some facts regarding the operation of the court that draws into serious question whether or not any defendant can receive a fair trial in Middletown Township.
The Municipal Prosecutor is Gerald J. Massell, Esq. His brother is Deputy Mayor Steve Massell. A member of the Middletown Township Council has great influence over who is hired as Municipal Prosecutor.
The Judge in the Middletown Township Municipal Court is Judge Richard B. Thompson. His private law office is located at 222 Highway 35, (Middletown Township) Red Bank, NJ 07701, a building that appears to be a small residential home that was converted into offices.
Guess who else has their law office at 222 Highway 35? If you guessed Municipal Prosecutor Gerald Massell, Esq. then you're right!
Real Estate records show that an Elizabeth Massell of 34 Concord Ct, (Middletown Township) Red Bank NJ 07701 owns said property.
A check of Real Estate records for 34 Concord Ct show that it is jointly owned by "Jerry" J. Massell and Elizabeth Massell. Jerry is a shortened version of the prosecutor's full name of "Gerald" that he often uses.
A 2006 Star Ledger report listed Gerald J. Massell as having 6 government jobs and and as of 2006 was pulling in nearly $130,000 a year of taxpayer money.
In Municipal Court in New Jersey, there is no jury. Cases are tried exclusively before a judge. When the Prosecutor is the Judge's officeneighbor and landlord how can you have a fair trial? You can't.
*Despite Red Bank mailing addresses, all properties listed above are legally within Middletown Township.