More Charges In Morristown Attorney 'Straw Donor' Case

MORRISTOWN, NJ—New defendants were charged in connection with a political corruption case involving a Morristown lawyer and concealed campaign contributions, the attorney general said last week.

The five defendants are accused of being "straw donors"—individuals who contribute to a candidate but are unlawfully compensated by another person—who were allegedly reimbursed by attorney Elizabeth Valandingham.

Vanlandingham, 47, was charged in June with second-degree false representation for government contracts and second-degree misconduct by a corporate official stemming from allegedly falsely certifying that her law firm made no political contributions in proposals for legal work , including a $470,000 contract in Mt. Arlington.

“Each year for which Valandingham indicated no reportable political contributions, the firm, in fact, made contributions,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said, when charges were announced.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of multiple current and former state and local officials for bribery in June. Valandingham's charges are not directly related to the bribery allegations against the former officials.

The alleged straw donors charged last week were recruited into the scheme by Valandingham, authorities said, and are accused of writing checks from their own checking accounts to various candidates and political committees. The donors were allegedly reimbursed with cash by Valandingham's law firm, which was deposited directly into their personal bank accounts.

During the course of the scheme, investigators say, the straw donors contributed and were reimbursed for $239,000 worth of donations.

“We are determined to hold individuals accountable if they seek to distort the political process and public contracting by making illegal contributions through the type of straw donor scheme alleged here,” said Grewal.

The following defendants were accused last week of fourth-degree concealment or misrepresentation of contributions. Each faces up to 18 months in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted:

Vanessa Brown, 40, of West Caldwell

Christopher Brown, 37, of West Caldwell

Ricardo Balanzateguimaldo, 40, of Bogota

Erin O'Reilly, 41, of Lincoln Park

Suzanne Gayet, 63, of Boonton