Glen Rock Attorney Could Replace Molinelli As County Prosecutor

A Glen Rock attorney could be Governor Christie’s pick to replace John Molinelli as Bergen County prosecutor, according to a source close to the story, PolitickerNJ.com reported.

Molinelli announced Tuesday he would be complying with the governor’s request for him to step down and said that will continue as prosecutor until he finds another job.

Gurbir Grewal is a Democrat and an attorney from Glen Rock. He is chief of the Economic Crimes Unit (ECU) in the New Jersey office of the U.S. Attorney, where he has worked since November 2010. He was was Christie’s pick for the post in 2013, but the state Senate did not schedule confirmation hearings, PolitickerNJ.com reported.

Grewal’s LinkedIn profile page states he received his Doctor of Law degree from The College of William and Mary’s Marshall Wythe Law School. Before becoming chief of the ECU in February 2014, Grewal was an assistant U.S. attorney from November 2010 to July 2013 and deputy chief of the ECU and the Computer Hacking and Property Section.

According to State Senate Paul Sarlo (D-36), any rumors that Grewal will “definitely be the pick” are “complete speculation” and that Christie will need to come to a consensus with the four state senators representing Bergen County before making a final pick, the report states.

If the the senators and Christie can’t collaborate on the pick, there will be an interim appointed, Sarlo told PolitickerNJ.com.

Molinelli, who was appointed prosecutor in 2002, has come under increased scrutiny since some believed in wrongfully allowed a Teaneck dermatologist to enter a pretrial intervention after he allegedly assaulted women patients, The Record reported.

John Mitchell told PolitickerNJ that Molinelli’s departure will “lift a cloud” from the justice system in the county.

(PIctured: Gurbir Grewal via LinkedIn)