Published reports overstate Stern's UMDNJ fees by $5 million

By Wally Edge | March 30th, 2009 - 8:39am
| More
Published reports overstate Stern's UMDNJ fees by $5 million Herbert Stern, a former U.S. Attorney and federal judge, was the UMDNJ federal monitor in 2006-07.

Former U.S. District Court Judge Herbert Stern and his law firm, Stern & Kilcullen, received $3 million in fees for their work as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's federal monitor, not $8 million as indicated in published reports, the law firm says.  The $3 million was paid over a two year period and involved seven different people at the firm.  The $8 million UMDNJ paid to federal monitors included fees paid to consultants not affiliated with Stern & Kilcullen, including auditors.

Stern's fees have become an issue in the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Christopher Christie, who as U.S. Attorney gave Stern a no-bid contract as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with UMDNJ in 2006.  Some Democratic lawmakers and GOP gubernatorial candidate Steven Lonegan are making an issue of campaign contributions to Christie by Stern and others at his law firm.

A report filed by the federal monitors in 2007 says that the team headed by Stern, who served as U.S. Attorney before his nomination to the bench, identified $400 million of documented fraud, waste or abusive practices at UMDNJ.  The Stern investigation led to the indictment and conviction of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Wayne Bryant, and pushed the UMDNJ trustees to implement key compliance reforms.

Distort....that's all they do.

Team Lonegan and Joe Cryan...perfect together.

That's not a distortion, just an overstatement

"Sure we got a huge no-bid contract and then turned around and donated money to the guy who gave us the huge no-bid contract, but the huge no-bid contract wasn't as huge as people are saying!"

To paraphrase the old Groucho Marx line, "We've already established what you are, and now we're just haggling over price."

ashcroft

so does that mean ashcroft didnt really make fifty million?

Just an overstatement?

Since when is $5 million "just an overstatement"? You have got to be kidding me.

No Duck Soup - The Quote's Misattributed

"We've already established what you are, and now we're just haggling over price." I love Groucho Marx, but he is not the author of that bon mot. Credit belongs to Winston Churchill, who made that pithy comment to Lady Astor.

We are busy checking with Lady Astor to find out if that quote was a distortion or an overstatement.

What a stupid thing for Corzine to do...

So the man who gave Carla Katz $6 million, gave millions to myriad powerful African American Ministers, and re-appointed a few Lehman executives to the state investment council a few days before suing Lehman for fraud wants to make hay out of contributions from on of the most apolitical and respected guys in New Jersey? If anyone doubted that Corzine is going to try to win by running the most negative campaign he can...this should settle it.

Stern is a pompus, self-rightous jerk

I love when these "squeaky clean" wanna-be's who believe they are so self rightous are exposed for the frauds they truly are...

Only $5 million in legal fees?

Why isn't the US Attorney's office scouring over these billings?

Herb Stern, as obnoxious as the rest...

Vote Column "A"- All the way!

If anyone

I guess if anyone would know about being obnoxious, it would be you. So I will take your word that he is obnoxious.

Wake-Up Call

Morning News Digest: February 9, 2010

Garden State Equality fires new broadside at Dems Smarting over the state Senate's refusal to pass marriage equality and disillusioned at the moment with the Democratic Party majority, Garden State Equality’s 85-member Board of Directors unanimously decided against giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. ...

Wally Edge

A handwritten note left behind during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting indicates that Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) would support a plan to require all current public employees to contribute at least 1.5% of...
As New Jersey braces for another snowstorm, noteworthy is Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo’s website, where residents can use “Snow Plow Sal” to monitor the movements of snow plows to determine when their street will be plowed.  Hamilton also has...
Just before leaving the Senate Presidency, Richard Codey (D-Roseland) appointed Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins to the Congressional Redistricting Commission.  Now his successor, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is considering making his own...
Mark Anton, the Chairman of the Suburban Propane Gas Corporation, was a half-term Republican from Essex County who was elected in a 1953 special election after Alfred Clapp, who had mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP gubernatorial election...
Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) has dropped his bid for Burlington County Democratic Chairman, notifying party leaders by letter this weekend.  That leaves Gary Haman as the leading candidate to replace Alice Furia, who took over last...

Contributors

Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done... more »
A new Governor and Legislature offer the perfect opportunity to re-think the Trenton status quo and for experienced observers and practitioners to offer their best ideas on improving the... more »
 I grew up in a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey where gambling was part of every day life.  Many of my relatives gambled.  The guys gambled on games, and... more »
Due to a highly inappropriate breach of etiquette by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United... more »
When life is bad---natural disasters, families losing homes or jobs, an attack on our country, health crises--people come together and do things that are inspiringly good.  After the... more »
Our new Governor suffers from no lack of advice.  Much of it, contained in the transition reports, deserves prompt attention.  Obviously, economic prosperity benefits everyone, and – as... more »
The agenda has been ambitious.Jobs.  Homeland security.  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  Healthcare.  Energy.  Banking.   Taken together, the Obama Presidency has all the makings of a compelling story -- action, adventure, emotion,... more »
The new regime pushes the only conservative off the Budget Committee.   This is a direct result of pressure from a certain Republican County Chairperson who was hired by Garden... more »
Now that  the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election. First and... more »
A  few years ago, my brother Paul gave me a birthday present of Tim Russert’s book, The Wisdom of Our Fathers. Great book. Read it cover to cover. Or skim... more »
New Jersey's spending and borrowing spree over the past three decades is coming home to roost.  State debt has increased 700% under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and spending... more »
On January 11th New Jersey’s 213th Legislature ended its session, followed the next day by the commencement of the 214th Legislature, with newly elected officials being sworn into office,... more »
On January 6, 2010, several newspapers published articles with titles like “no more aid for struggling cities”, “Christie will cut state aid” and the like; furthermore, in the body... more »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you target teachers. That’s not a positive note to start your tenure. You forget that the Teachers’ Union makes decisions on its own, such... more »