Ex-Commissioner Accepted Fee In Suit Against Haddon Township: AG

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — One day after announcing he would be resigning as a Haddon Township Commissioner, Paul Dougherty has pleaded guilty to unlawfully accepting a referral fee from a law firm in connection with a lawsuit against the township, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced on Wednesday.

Dougherty, 48, of Haddon Township, pleaded guilty today to an accusation charging him with third-degree conspiracy to confer an unlawful benefit on a public official, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Dougherty be sentenced to a term of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14.

As a result of the plea, Dougherty forfeited his position as a township commissioner and is permanently barred from public office and public employment in New Jersey. In addition to his role as Haddon Township Commissioner, Dougherty serves as municipal prosecutor in several towns in Camden and Burlington counties.

Dougherty has served on the elected three-member commission since 2007. One day earlier, he submitted his resignation to fellow commissioners Randall Teague and James Mulroy, who now have 30 days to appoint a new commissioner, according to the Courier Post. A special election for the seat will take place in May.

Dougherty was contacted in 2013 by a Haddon Township police officer who was having issues with her superiors and had just been suspended, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The officer asked Dougherty for help with the suspension and Dougherty, despite the clear conflict of interest presented by his status as a township commissioner, told her that she had the basis for a lawsuit against the township.

He then referred her to a law firm which sued the township on her behalf, obtaining a $48,000 settlement for her in 2015, according to the Attorney General's Office. The law firm, which received approximately $21,000 in legal fees, subsequently paid Dougherty a referral fee of $7,106, which he accepted. Dougherty returned the fee to the law firm after he learned that he was under investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice.

The investigation was conducted by detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. It began with a referral from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

Dougherty has also been accused of leaving the scene of an accident in which he rear-ended another car on July 19, according to nj.com. He has a court date set for Estell Manor on Oct. 22. The case was moved out of Camden County to avoid any possible conflicts of interest.

The attached image of Paul Dougherty was provided by the Attorney General’s Office