Ex-Phillipsburg councilman exonerated after allegations of prosecutorial misconduct – New Jersey Globe

It’s been nearly four years since prosecutors uprooted Frank McVey’s life, indicting him for allegedly threatening the mayor of Phillipsburg in a blackmail scheme.  He lost his standing in his community as a decorated former State Police captain and cost him his seat as a Phillipsburg councilman.

Exonerated last Friday when Superior Court Judge Reema Sethi Kareer dismissed the indictment, McVey must now work to regenerate his reputation after being accused of threatening Mayor Todd Tersigni.

The state’s allegations “reeked of a political persecution,” said McVey’s attorneys, Michael Critchley and Armando Suárez.  “The politically motivated prosecution of innocent individuals not only devastates the lives of those directly targeted but also erodes public trust in legal institutions and threatens the principles of justice and equality.”

“This is a case study of what happens when cavalier, overly aggressive prosecutors bring baseless charges against innocent individuals,” Critchley and Suárez stated.  “

Because Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer had once represented Tersigni in a private legal matter, a Superior Court Judge has disqualified the entire prosecutor’s office from participating in the case against McVey.   That included Anthony J. Robinson, the first assistant prosecutor and a former top lawyer at the embattled Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

McVey, who turned down a plea deal that would have included an expungement, spent years trying to pry discovery from the state, which the State was legally obligated to provide but purposely and strategically withheld.

Tober found the case against McVey “politically charged” and said the state’s prosecution “clearly demonstrative impropriety.”

“In a healthy democracy, the justice system serves as an impartial arbiter, ensuring that laws are applied fairly and without bias,” Critchley and Suárez stated.  “However, when legal mechanisms are manipulated for political gain, they become tools of oppression, undermining the very foundations of democratic governance.”

The charges against McVey forced him to drop his 2023 bid for mayor.

“Defending against politically motivated criminal charges and the challenges to have the charges dismissed can be unbearable,” said Critchley and Suárez.  “Even with this dismissal, the personal, professional, and public damage on Mr. McVey is irreversible.”