Criminal Investigation Opened Into Atlantic City Area Campaign

The New Jersey Attorney General, Matthew J. Platkin, through the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability has opened a criminal investigation into an organization called Jersey Freedom.

The Jersey Freedom Political Action Committee spent very heavily in New Jersey legislative districts 2 and 4 during the 2023 election cycle.

In District 2, Jersey Freedom spent heavily on the independent candidacy of Shawn Peck.

I interviewed Peck weeks before the November 7, 2023 General Election Day.

Peck confirmed that as soon as he learned about how the Jersey Freedom PAC was spending large sums of money to support his candidacy, that he dropped out of the race and immediately announced his endorsement of incumbent New Jersey Senator Vince Polistina.

New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic County Assignment Judge Michael Blee ordered that Jersey Freedom had to stop and all spending in the final days, leading up to Election Day.

However, a market saturation level of television commercials and numerous print collateral materials supporting Peck and criticizing Polistina continued right through Election Day.

According to New Jersey Globe Editor and Publisher David Wildstein, “Investigators have already questioned some individuals related to the probe.”

Wildstein was the first to break the news of the opening of a criminal investigation of Jersey Freedom by the New Jersey state attorney general.

Senator Polistina and Atlantic County Republican Party Chairman Don Purdy aggressively pursued legal action against the shadowy Jersey Freedom PAC for unfair practices.

The Jersey Freedom PAC was created last summer, using a post office box in Jamaica, Queens, New York, apparently funded by a Democratic super PAC called Brighter Future.

Jersey Freedom has confirmed that their attorney is William Tambussi, a talented,  longtime attorney for the Camden County Democratic Party.

The goal of Jersey Freedom is obvious. They purposely funded so-called independent candidates in LD2 and LD4, to attempt to pull votes from the Republican candidates to try and steer the election to the Democrat candidates.

Allegedly, Jersey Freedom wants to wind down its operations, however, that cannot do so while Judge Blee’s restrictions against them remains in effect.