A longtime New Jersey Republican powerbroker who was pardoned by Donald Trump in one of the former president’s last acts in office has nonetheless been suspended from practicing law in the Garden State for “committing a criminal act.”
The New Jersey Supreme Court on May 7 handed Ocean County GOP Chairman George R. Gilmore a two-year suspension, effective as of June 13 but with credit for 22 months of a temporary suspension already served for “committing a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects” and for engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,” in “two instances.”
Those violations of the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct stemmed from Gilmore’s 2019 convictions for failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS and making false statements on an application for a bank loan.
“Gilmore worked as an equity partner and shareholder at Gilmore & Monahan P.A., a law firm in Toms River, where he exercised primary control over the firm’s financial affairs,” the Department of Justice said. “Because he exercised significant control over the law firm’s financial affairs, Gilmore was responsible for withholding payroll taxes from the gross salary and wages of the law firm’s employees to cover individual income, Social Security and Government-run Medicare tax obligations.”
Trump pardoned Gilmore, along with a number of other well-known figures, on Jan. 20, 2021, the day his term ended and the day President Joe Biden’s began.
That list included Albert Pirro, the husband of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, former White House strategist Steve Bannon, rapper Lil Wayne, rapper Kodak Black, former Republican National Committee Finance Chairman Elliott Broidy, Jared Kushner’s friend Ken Kurson, and Casey Urlacher, the brother of NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher.
In Gilmore’s case, the White House cited the “important civic contributions over his career in New Jersey” and the support of various individuals, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R), in granting the “full pardon.”
After the pardon Gilmore’s attorney Kevin Marino commented on his client’s temporary suspension, telling the Asbury Park Press, Gilmore “lost his law license based solely on his conviction.”
“As his conviction has now been completely erased, his license will be restored,” Marino added.
In order to be reinstated as a lawyer, however, Gilmore will have to continue serving a suspension and prove his “fitness to practice law, as attested to by a mental health professional approved by the Office of Attorney Ethics.”
The post Trump pardon couldn’t save GOP county chairman supported by Chris Christie from having his law license suspended first appeared on Law & Crime.
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Author: Matt Naham
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