UPDATED: Candidate, Mayor Spar Over Probe of Police Captain

Councilman Paul Carifi Jr., who is running for mayor and at least publicly so far has stayed away from the campaign controversies arising from ticketmate Dr. Louis Valori's accusations of a quid pro quo job offer against incumbent Mayor James Barberio, is speaking out. 

The candidate says efforts to investigate his brother, Board of Education member and retiring Parsippany Police Capt. James Carifi, are politically motivated. Barberio rejects the accusation and says Paul Carifi's criticisms are "unethical" considering his council status and may rise to the level of official misconduct. 

“Time and time again, Jamie Barberio resorts to unscrupulous schemes in an attempt to ascertain an easy campaign victory," Paul Carifi said in a statement Wednesday. "If he can’t try to bribe his way to retain the office by keeping prospective candidates off the election ballot, he will bully others with vicious attacks.”

The mayor rejected the councilman's charges.

"I call upon Councilman Carifi to immediately retract his inappropriate comments and permit our professionals to do their jobs without veiled threats from the Carifi brothers," Barberio told Patch. 

On Friday, the township filed a motion against James Carifi at Superior Court in Morristown alleging that the police captain may have illegally stolen confidential material including police files off of PPD computer files. The motion is part of Carifi's 2011 lawsuit against the town charging Barberio and former police Chief Michael Peckerman with retaliating against him by refusing to deny his request for a promotion to deputy chief.

The town said Carifi was not eligible for the promotion because he had never taken the mandatory Civil Service exam for the position—and said that prior to his last day on the job at the end of March, the captain removed private material—including information involving citizens not wanted for criminal activity—via removable hard drive and transferred it to his personal email.

Carifi accused the mayor of launching the actions against his brother and charged that Township Attorney John Inglesino was behind the police department probe. But the lawyer told Patch via statement that these allegations are not true.

"At no time did I ever direct the Parsippany Police Department to launch or otherwise conduct an investigation on anyone, including James Carifi," Inglesino said. "Paul’s Carifi’s comments are completely untrue. Moreover, Paul Carifi has no basis whatsoever to make such an accusation.  

"While this is not the first untruthful accusation made against me in this political season, I am hopeful that it will be the last."

Parsippany Police Chief Paul Philipps is even more emphatic that Inglesino was not involved in setting off the probe.

 "I don’t know how Mr. Paul Carifi got the impression that the township police department, at the direction of the township attorney, launched an internal affairs investigation. This is factually incorrect," said Philipps in a statement. "The Parsippany Police Department was not directed to launch an internal affairs investigation. 

"I want to make it clear that internal affairs investigations are launched based on information that indicates officer misconduct and not at the direction of the township attorney."

Beyond addressing Paul Carifi's allegations, Chief Philipps declined to comment about any ongoing internal affairs investigation.

If Parsippany's case against Capt. Carifi is upheld and he is shown to have engaged in official misconduct, he stands to lose more than $368,000 in a retirement payout.

Paul Carifi, running head to head against Barberio in the June 4 Republican primary, said the latest township claims about his brother are nothing more than "Jamie Barberio’s political retaliation for [my] primary candidacy in the mayoral race."

He called on the mayor "to cease and desist from employing the township attorney to conduct the mayor’s political witch-hunt at the taxpayers’ expense."

“Mayor Barberio feels threatened by the overwhelming support my campaign is receiving and is willing to resort to any questionable tactic to taint the election," the candidate said. "Instead of debating me, this incumbent uses his energy to seek political retribution against my brother.”

He noted that even before the motion was filed Friday, local police launched an internal affairs investigation against James Carifi two days before he left his PPD position. That probe put the policeman's April 1 on hold.

“If I were not running for mayor, Barberio would not have held up my brother’s retirement and pension, launched the police internal investigation or filed the court motion,” Paul Carifi said.

For his part, the mayor is blasting back at what he calls "Councilman Carifi’s blatant attempt to interfere in a police department internal affairs investigation," calling it "unethical, and in my opinion, an act of official misconduct."

"Councilman Carifi’s comments prove the point that his run for mayor is an act of revenge on behalf of his brother, who didn’t get promoted to a job he wasn’t eligible for.  

"By contrast I make decisions based solely what is best for the township of Parsippany–Troy Hills. That is what this election is about," Barberio said.

The town attorney's comment supported the mayor's position.

"At no time did the mayor direct township officials to file any motion," Inglesino said. "The fact of the matter is that James Carifi is suing the township because he wasn’t promoted to a position he was not legally eligible to hold.  As township attorney, I will do my job to protect the township’s legal interests and taxpayers from those who intend to be unjustly enriched, including James Carifi."

The lawyer also noted that neither Paul Carifi nor James Carifi’s attorney, Patrick Toscano, "has refuted any of the information contained in the legal brief supporting Friday’s motion."  

"I would respectfully request that Councilman Paul Carifi refrain from making further untrue statements concerning me and matters of legal concern to the township," stated Inglesino. 

Last month, the mayor issued a statement accusing the Carifi brothers and Valori of "insatiable greed." 

Valori said he sent his accusations against Barberio to the state Attorney General's office for investigation and the matter was reportedly sent to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. Two investigators from Somerset visited Town Hall last month to collect digital files and talk with Barberio, but there has been no confirmation that the visit was related to the job-offer allegations.