Page 26 - midJersey Business - April 2015

2015 Annual Dinner

WINNERS

at a great expense. I discussed this issue with the County I’ve read that you owe a lot of success to your mother.
Executive, Mercer County Chiefs of Police Association, How did she help to motivate you?

and the County Sherif. Everyone agreed that it would be
a good idea to establish the police academy. Since then, it She was a magniicent woman, and I miss her terribly.

has been a tremendous asset. We no longer have to send She was a community activist and involved in local poli-
recruits outside of Mercer County. In addition, we have tics, school boards, and city council races. When I was

free continuing education and ofer classes to the local about 9 years old, I would go with her to various political
police departments throughout the year. Oicers across meetings and sit and watch. I couldn’t help but say to

the county learn the same message, and they’re all on the myself, “This is something that I might want to do: be a
same page.
lawyer and get involved in politics.” It stayed with me. If

you look under my picture in my high school yearbook, it
says “lawyer” as a future vocation.
What was the impact of Operation Weeping Willow?
I went to law school and got involved in politics. My
It was the largest investigative seizure in Mercer County’s mother ran all my campaigns. My parents didn’t come

history, with a total retail value of $1,101,190 in coniscated from a great deal of means. My father worked in a steel
drugs. There were 42 arrests, and we seized 20 kilograms mill, and my mother had various jobs. Their focus was on

of powder cocaine, 202 bricks of heroin, and three pounds
me and my brother. They wanted their kids to do better

than they did. As I look back at my life and see where I of marijuana. Authorities
came from and where I got to, I realize I was able to live also seized nine vehicles,
“As I look back
the American Dream.
42 motorcycles and all-
at my life and see terrain vehicles, more than

What does being named Citizen of the Year by the $69,700 in cash, $69,300
MIDJersey Chamber mean to you?
where I came from in jewelry, $13,200 in

and where I got to, appliances, and $1,500 in
I’m very humbled by it. There are probably people out tools, and 10 weapons.

there more deserving than me. I’ve received numerous I realize I was This was a massive
awards and accolades over the years, and I’ve able to investigative undertaking
able to live the
achieve these accomplishments because of the people involving federal, state,
that I have around me. I’m delighted that my irst as- county, and local police
American Dream.”
sistant, Angelo Onofri, is now acting Mercer County agencies across New
prosecutor.
Jersey and Pennsylvania.

In total, there were 39 full-time task force members and

What did you love most about your job, and more than 100 part-time oicers assigned to Operation
what will you miss most?
Weeping Willow. Without the manpower and resources

provided by the 21 law enforcement agencies involved,
The people. The interaction in the oice. The monthly an investigation of this scope and magnitude would never

meetings with the county chiefs of police and the County have been possible.
Prosecutors Association of New Jersey. The nice thing

about the job was it wasn’t the same thing every day. That In your 11-plus years as prosecutor, what were
was the nature of the beast.
some of the biggest changes you witnessed?

I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in life.
I’m Mercer County born and raised, and I already have my Interagency cooperation with the various task forces

cemetery plot at Greenwood in Hamilton, which I don’t across the county. There was discussion if Mercer should
want to be an occupant of any time soon (laughs). I would have a county police department. Initially, I thought there

love another 20 years more on the golf course.
was some merit to this idea. But since then, with the vari-
ous task forces we’ve put together, we don’t need it. We’re

Do you plan to play more golf now that you will all working together. The homicide task force is now a
combination of our oice, the Trenton Police Department,
have a little bit extra free time?
and oicers from other departments. What was normally

Absolutely, but it doesn’t mean that I’ll get any better. I’m just a ive-man unit for Trenton, where most of the ho-
also looking forward to spending more time with my wife, micides occur, is now a 12-person unit. It has had a huge

Juda, at our summer home in Point Pleasant Beach.
impact on the policing efort in Mercer County.

business
24 midJersey