Cops cleared in criminal case are battling Jersey City over back pay

JERSEY CITY — Two Jersey City cops cleared of criminal charges in October are embroiled in a new legal fight over whether the city should have to pay them two years of back pay and reimburse their legal fees.

The cops — Lt. Kelly Chesler and Officer Michael O’Neill — have sued the city to get paid, but the city has called the lawsuits “premature” and wants a judge to dismiss them.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/02/cops ... y-city-over-back-pay.html

Jersey City cop cleared on charges wants back pay, legal fees reimbursed

JERSEY CITY — A Jersey City cop is demanding Jersey City reimburse his legal fees and award him back pay after a judge last month cleared him on charges that he took pay for work he did not perform.

An attorney for Michael O'Neill, who was suspended without pay in June 2016 when the charges were announced, says in a two-count lawsuit filed Monday in Hudson County Superior Court that the city has refused to respond to O'Neill's request for legal fees and demanded documentation on the back-pay request that O'Neill has already provided.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... arges_wants_back_pay.html

3 Jersey City cops in corruption trial: Off-duty work cost $1.6M

The prosecution on Friday began framing its case against three Jersey City police officers accused of participating in an off-duty jobs conspiracy.

The charges against Lt. Kelly Chesler and retired Capt. Joseph Ascolese stem from off-duty traffic assignments in 2014 during Pulaski Skyway closures and Route 139 construction. Ascolese was in charge of the operation and Chesler was his executive officer.

https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ity_cops_in_corrupti.html

3 Jersey City cops charged with falsifying time sheets head to trial

JERSEY CITY -- Three Jersey City police accused of conspiring to falsify time sheets to get paid for work not performed during a three-month period in 2014 will go on trial next week and could face 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"My client is looking forward to finally getting her day in court," said defense attorney Jeffrey Garrigan today of Lt. Kelly Chesler, who is being tried with Polioce Officer Michael O'Neill and former Capt. Joseph Ascolese.

The officers have been suspended without pay since being indicted.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... rial_next_week_for_f.html

Judge: Jersey City must pay indicted retired cop $93K in unused time

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on February 03, 2017 at 10:49 AM, updated February 03, 2017 at 10:56 AM

JERSEY CITY -- A retired police officer under indictment on allegations of theft and official misconduct must be paid $93,317 for unpaid vacation, comp and terminal leave days, a Hudson County Superior Court judge ruled last week.

The decision represents the second time Jersey City has lost this dispute with the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association. The union sued the city on behalf of Michael Maietti, the retired officer, when the city refused to fork over Maietti's accumulated time, saying the cop hadn't officially retired.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _under_indictment_10.html

Indicted Jersey City police officers plead not guilty at arraignment

By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal
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on June 27, 2016 at 3:22 PM, updated June 27, 2016 at 3:47 PM

JERSEY CITY -- Three Jersey City police officers and one retired police captain were arraigned this morning in connection to a 107-count indictment accusing them of falsifying records and getting paid for off-duty work they never performed. 

Attorneys representing officers Michael Maietti and Michael O'Neill, Lt. Kelly Chesler, as well as retired Capt. Joseph Ascolese, entered not guilty pleas on behalf of their clients at the arraignment before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez.

The four are charged with conspiracy, theft by deception, falsifying records, official misconduct and pattern of official misconduct. The indictment alleges they all falsified pay vouchers. 

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ficers_plead_not_gui.html

Jersey City cops allege indictment is political payback

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
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on June 21, 2016 at 7:10 PM, updated June 21, 2016 at 9:24 PM

Attorneys for two of the four Jersey City motorcycle cops who are the subject of a 107-count indictment alleging official misconduct say their clients are victims of political retaliation.

Lt. Kelly Chesler and retired Capt. Joseph Ascolese are whistleblowers being punished for revealing misconduct in the Jersey City Police Department, the pair's attorneys told The Jersey Journal today.

Read more:  http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ment_is_political_pa.html