Councilman Rich Brescher calls for Attorney General investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds
EDISON, NJ – A controversy surrounding the cost of Mayor Sam Joshi’s security detail has taken a new turn, with Councilman Richard Brescher accusing township officials of a cover-up. Brescher alleges that Mayor Joshi and Police Chief Tom Bryan have misled the public about the expenses incurred when four Edison police officers accompanied the mayor on a vacation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
Initially, both Joshi and Bryan stated that the trip would not cost taxpayers any money. However, Brescher now claims that documents he obtained show expenses exceeding $20,000, not including potential overtime costs due to staffing shortages within the police department.
Further fueling the controversy, Brescher points to a $20,000 check issued by Mayor Joshi’s campaign to the township, which appears to be backdated to August 27th. Despite the fact the township makes deposits daily the reimbursement check was not deposited into the township account until sixteens days later on September 11th. The deposit was also nearly two months after the DNC Convention which took place in Chicago from August 19th through August 22nd.
“I gave my check that same week that I came back from Chicago. Two officers flew and two officers drove, but I paid for their hotel for my own election fund,” Mayor Joshi told the Patch of Edison-Metuchen on September on 9/11. “I paid a blanket $20,000 to Edison Township, which is above and beyond the whole cost.” He also stated the four officers who accompanied Joshi were not scheduled to be on patrol that week.
However on September 12th a whistleblower within the police department identified the officers who traveled to the DNC as Sergeant Neel Patel, Patrolman Jason Chang, Patrolman Chris DiPaolo, and Patrolwoman Devan Mulligan. Scheduling records were provided showing the officers were on a special assignment on August 18th and were scheduled to work from August 19th to 23rd, with one remaining on duty on the 24th.
This deposit date is significant because it falls two days after a council meeting where Councilman Brescher first raised questions about the trip’s expenses, and one day after Joshi emphatically told MyCentralJersey.com, “I want to be clear, not a single dime of expense will be funded by the taxpayers.”
Councilman Brescher said all the information he has been provided to date leads him to believe the $20,000 check for the Chicago trip expenses was backdated to August 27th, but wasn’t actually written until local media began inquiring about the trip’s costs and the officers received pay from the township. This, Brescher argues, is a clear attempt to hide the true timeline and mislead both the public and the council.
In response to this alleged deception and the potential misuse of taxpayer money, Councilman Brescher is asking New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin to launch a full investigation into what he deems “official misconduct” and a calculated effort to deceive Edison residents.
This controversy has sparked outrage among some Edison residents, who question the necessity of a four-officer security detail for the mayor at a political event in Chicago. Critics argue that such expenses are an irresponsible use of taxpayer money, especially in light of potential staffing shortages within the police department.
Mayor Joshi and Chief Bryan have yet to respond to Brescher’s allegations. The outcome of this controversy and any potential investigation by the Attorney General remains to be seen.
