Calls For Probe After Alleged Sex Assault By Top Murphy Staffer

Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed their dismay Thursday after reports that a top staffer in the Murphy administration quit following revelations that he was accused of sexual assault – with some calling for an investigation.

Eight GOP lawmakers called for a probe into Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's hiring practices, saying the governor "has used taxpayer funds to reward individuals of questionable character." The eight wrote a letter to top Democratic leaders in the state Assembly and Senate.

The lawmakers, all women, noted that Albert J. Alvarez was hired as the chief of staff for the Schools Development Authority even though, according to published reports, he was accused of sexual assault while serving on the governor's campaign.

"It has been reported that the gubernatorial transition team was notified of the criminal investigation prior to his hiring," the letter "Further, it has been reported that the accuser contacted the Governor's Office in the spring to notify the governor of the alleged criminal conduct."

Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Sens. Paul Sarlo, M. Teresa Ruiz, Sandra Cunningham and Nick Scutari also issued a joint statement in response to the accounts of sexual misconduct by a high-level state official. They did not dispute the GOP lawmakers' statements.

“We are disturbed by the news reports of alleged sexual misconduct leveled against a high-level state official. This type of behavior has too often been tolerated, ignored or dismissed," they said. "Public officials have a leadership responsibility to help bring about the change in attitudes and actions that is long overdue."

Efforts to obtain comment from the Murphy administration were not immediately successful – though Murphy, during a recent Facebook Live interview, said he didn't want to comment because he didn't know all the details.

The eight Republican lawmakers who signed the letter were Sens. Kristin Corrado and Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblywomen Nancy Munoz, BettyLou DeCroce, Serena DiMaso, DiAnne Gove, Amy Handlin and Holly Schepisi.

A Politico report said Alvarez faced an allegation of sexual assault during a period when he worked on Murphy's gubernatorial campaign. Alvarez stepped down on Oct. 2 when accusations of sexual assault in Hudson County made by a woman in the spring of last year came to light. Alvarez has not been criminally charged.

Alvarez, 44, of Wood-Ridge, was director for Latino community outreach for Murphy's campaign at the time of the alleged incident, according to Politico. He later worked for Murphy's transition team as deputy director of personnel before getting the $140,000-a-year job at the Schools Development Authority.

The Republican lawmakers noted that the governor recently defended the hiring of an ex-official convicted of bribery as a special assistant in the Department of Education "despite state law prohibiting it," adding that the employee quickly resigned after his illegal employment came under public.

"The nature of these hires – one clearly illegal, the other morally reprehensible – leads to the appearance of a culture within the Murphy Administration that is more concerned with rewarding campaign supporters than serving the public interest," according to the GOP letter.

Governor Murphy photo