Monmouth County's Serena DiMaso Investigated Over Robocall Spoof

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A state legislative ethics committee will investigate an incident involving Monmouth County Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso, whose office sent out a robocall last summer using the phone number of neighboring Democratic state legislators.

The news was first reported by New Jersey Globe, and then by the Asbury Park Press.

The complaint against DiMaso was made by Assembly reps Joann Downey and Eric Houghtaling, both Democrats who represent the 11th District in central Monmouth County. DiMaso is a Republican who represents the 13th District in northern Monmouth; towns she represents include Aberdeen, Holmdel, Hazlet, Middletown, Marlboro, Little Silver, Fair Haven and Rumson, among others.

The call was sent out last summer, and in the recorded message DiMaso criticized state Democrats for their vote in favor of Murphy's budget. At issue is the phone number that the call came from: 695-3371.

That is the Ocean Township legislative offices of Downey and Houghtaling. The call should have come from DiMaso's headquarters at Bell Works in Holmdel, or from the Assembly Republican Victory Committee, which paid for the call.

DiMaso sent a letter to the Legislative ethics committee and said she had no role in selecting the number. She said she hired a political consultant to help create the message, and he also wrote to the committee, saying he must have accidentally listed the District 11 office number, possibly as he hurried to get the call out, the Asbury Park Press reported.

DiMaso lives in Holmdel and got her start in New Jersey politics by first being elected to the Holmdel Township Committee. From there she was elected as a Monmouth County Freeholder. She is also a Holmdel EMT. Her legislative offices are based out of Bell Works in Holmdel.