New Bergen County Assistant Prosecutor Daryl Williams Dogged by Criminal Charges, Ethics Complaints.

This past week, five new assistant prosecutors were sworn in to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Daryl A. Williams

One name in the bunch caught our attention: Daryl Williams (or Daryl A. Williams, as he is known by his former employer, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office).

Daryl Williams first caught our attention in late 2009 when he openly violated an Expungement Order (N.J.S. 2C:52-30) in a court brief.  A citizen complaint was subsequently filed in Bergen County against Williams. 

In late 2010, Bergen County Municipal Court Judge Roy F. McGeady, with the complicity of prosecutor Andrew C. Samson, obstructed the prosecution of Daryl A. Williams, and the citizen complaint against Williams was improperly dismissed.  See Case Study complaints 3 & 4 and 6 & 7.

Nevertheless, evidence of Daryl Williams' violation of the law is documented in his brief.  Said misconduct is also a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.  An attorney ethics complaint filed by this newsperson has been pending since July, 2010, with no resolution as of yet.

Did Judge McGeady and prosecutor Samson obstruct the prosecution of Daryl Williams because they knew Williams was being vetted for employment as their colleague?  Has the pending ethics complaint against Daryl Williams been suppressed for more than a year to protect his job in public employment?  We are seeking answers to these questions.

Daryl Williams next caught our attention in early 2010 when he again violated an Expungement Order (N.J.S. 2C:52-30) in Somerset County, in open court and on the record, in spite of protests on the record from our attorney, and a previous warning via letter.

At that point it became clear that assistant Somerset County prosecutor Daryl A. WIlliams could not conform his legal practice to the Rules of Professional Conduct, or to the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice.  A citizen complaint was subsequently filed in Somerset County, and probable cause was found against Williams.

In early 2011, Somerville Municipal Court Judge William T. Kelleher, with the complicity of municipal prosecutor Joseph DeMarco, obstructed the prosecution of Daryl A. Williams, and the criminal charge against Williams was improperly dismissed.  See Case Study complaint 5.

Nevertheless, evidence of Daryl Williams' violation of the law is documented in the court transcript in our possession.  Said misconduct is also a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.  An attorney ethics complaint filed by this newsperson has been pending since July, 2010, with no resolution as of yet.

Did Judge Kelleher and prosecutor DeMarco obstruct the prosecution of Daryl Williams because they knew Williams was being vetted for employment in another county?  Did Kelleher and DeMarco want to see Williams transferred to another county because of the embarrassment and disrepute Williams brought to their vicinage by allegations of his unethical and unlawful conduct?  Has the pending ethics complaint against Daryl Williams been suppressed for more than a year to protect his job in public employment?  We are seeking answers to these questions.

One thing is clear: the professional history and conduct of a prosecutor in New Jersey's Criminal Justice system should be spotless and impeccable.  This is necessary for the protection of the public trust, and for the maintenance of the highest levels of confidence in our government.  It is this newsperson's opinion that the continued employment of Daryl A. Williams in public service erodes that protection and that confidence.