The division of the Attorney General’s office that has been prosecuting Rabbi Osher Eisemann will be under new leadership, as both directors of the oft-condemned Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) are stepping down.
OPIA Director Tom Eicher and OPIA Deputy Director Antony Picione – both who were very involved in the relentless vendetta against the revered SCHI founder – are retiring, paving the way for new leadership at the OPIA. Under their leadership, the OPIA was alleged in numerous reports of prosecutorial misconduct, with media outlets and elected officials calling it out for the same corrupt behavior they purport to protect us from.
The news of their retirement comes just after a hearing last week on the Eisemann Case, at which Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone declined to completely toss the case, saying that although the prosecutors withheld evidence, their wrongdoing did not raise to the mandated bar for a complete dismissal.
At the hearing, Judge Paone said that the law calls for dismissing the case entirely only when the behavior of the prosecution is “so outrageous that due process principles would absolutely bar the government from invoking judicial process to obtain a conviction.” But here, “there is currently no evidence of outrageous conduct as required by [the law]” and “the Brady violation here, accordingly, does not warrant dismissal with prejudice.”
Interestingly, in the courtroom gallery during the hearing was the newly appointed director of the OPIA, Drew Skinner. The presence of such a high-ranking member of the Attorney General’s office may indicate that the OPIA has a special focus on this case, despite the weakness of the case and the appellate-affirmed Brady violations.
The Eisemann prosecution has been going on for nearly eight years, and has led to a significant erosion of public trust towards the Attorney General’s office from within the local community. For the greater part of a decade now, thousands of admirers of the selfless SCHI founder watched as prosecutors persistently pursued this case, as if on a sacred mission to send him to prison. Their initial claims that he stole a million dollars were shot down by the jury at the first trial, and the judge opted for a light sentence due to the weakness of the case among other factors.
But the AG’s office refused to back down, taking the case to the appellate court to demand a harsher sentence. This was followed by the surfacing of new exculpatory evidence, and the subsequent shocking discovery that the prosecutors were in possession of that evidence but hid it during the trial. After the convictions were dismissed, the AG’s office tried to appeal, and after a 3-judge appellate panel affirmed their misconduct, they refuse to back down and are adamant to pursue a new trial.
In stark contrast, community support around Rabbi Eisemann remains steadfast. For decades, the community has borne witness to the dedication and piety of the selfless man, who devoted his life to children with special needs. Millions of dollars have been raised for past legal expenses, and the community is once again rising to the occasion to help fund his defense team as he heads to a new trial. There has also been an outpouring of tefillos, and so many continue to say Tehillim daily for an imminent Yeshuah.
The new trial has been scheduled for July 9. At the hearing last week, both lawyers said that they expect to present about three or four days of testimony, and the judge noted that he expects the trial to last about two weeks. A pretrial conference is set for May 15.
[To donate to the campaign, please call 732.363.1011 or visit pidyonshvuyim.com. Please continue to daven for Osher ben Chana Frumet.]
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why are Eicher and Picione retiring? aren’t they under investigation for corruption? breach of public trust? misuse of public funds?
Don’t think there is anything pending against them.
These corrupt bosses get to wash their hands of the misconduct of their underlings, and they bow out when their taxpayer-funded pensions swell enough for them to move onto some other vocation.
I’m sure these people are being honored for their years of “public service” combatting “deep rooted corruption” among “dangerous criminals”.
Anyone have mirror?
This case has been a miscarriage of justice since the very onset, and it has sullied the name of the AG’s office is such an abysmal way.
In my opinion, it is the darkest stain on Governor Murphy’s record, and the fact that he continues to stand back and do nothing is truly abhorrent.
If incoming OPIA Director Skinner wants to salvage any respect anyone still maybe somehow have for the OPIA, he should drop this case like a hot potato and take steps to make amends to Rabbi Eisemann for the inexcusable persecution he has been subject to for the last 8 years.
Lakewood voted for these bums now eat the fruits.
when Mr. Skinner took over the department he got access to all the previous minutes, memos, emails and recordings and if he finds multiple deleted files or if he does find and actually reviews the wispy-flimsy material and cobweb evidence and does not then open a full and transparent investigation, that may constitute an obstruction of justice by an official who is supposed to serving the voters in the State of New Jersey instead of protecting the employees of the State of New Jersey and he certainly is aware of that and is probably taking the correct steps quietly and discreetly.