Bergen County Prosecutor To Retire In January

John L. Molinelli will retire as Bergen County prosecutor in January.

Molinelli announced Oct. 27 he would step down after 14 years at the position. Molinelli was told that day by a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s staff the governor intends to appoint a replacement.

Molinelli came under scrutiny in the past several months, due in part to allegations that he wrongly allowed Dr. Gangaram Ragi, a Teaneck dermatologist, to enter a pretrial intervention after he allegedly assaulted women patients, The Record reported.

Related: Bergen County Prosecutor To Resign

Molinelli said in a press release that his plan is to remain in office on a “day-to-day” basis until the end of December and take a vacation before he starts as a partner with Price, Meese, Shulman, and D’Arminio, a Woodcliff Lake-based law firm.

The lame-duck prosecutor said his “last walk” will be about the end of the second week in January.

“I have met so many and learned so much in my role and wish to continue to work with those dedicated, like me, to end it now,” Molinelli said.

Molinelli said he will focus on the areas of corporate governance and compliance, employment and labor counseling, and white-collar corporate criminal defense in his new role with the Price law firm.

His 14-year career as county prosecutor has spanned four governors, beginning with Jim McGreevey, eight attorney generals, and four county executives. He praised the hundreds of people working in the prosecutor’s office, calling them the “best and brightest.”

“I have been blessed with what has truly been my most valuable asset through my tenure, that being the 275 people who serve this office,” Molinelli said.

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

(John L. Molinelli/File photo)