The Blue Shield Benevolent Fund Inc. hosted the golf outing last week, attracting Carteret mayor and nearly two dozen donors
CARTERET -- Mayor Daniel Reiman attended a golf fundraiser last week hosted by a non-profit aimed at supporting "unfairly" charged police officers, which was formed a week after his brother, a Carteret cop, was arrested on charges of assaulting a teen.
Carteret Mayor Dan ReimanFile photo
The Blue Shield Benevolent Fund Inc. hosted the golf outing on Oct. 16, attracting nearly two dozen donors, the majority of which have ties to Carteret or contracts with the borough, according to the list of sponsors obtained by NJ Advance Media.
The certificate of incorporation for the advertised 501(c)3 non-profit says it aims to educate the public on the risks officers take in the field while also providing "financial assistance and other support to law enforcement officers within the State who are unfairly charged either civilly, criminally or administratively, for actions taken in the line of duty."
Ronald Gardner Jr., who is the longtime treasurer for Daniel Reiman's charity trust and is on the Carteret payroll, created the non-profit on June 16 with Mark Razzoli and Judith Valdes, according to state records.
The mayor's youngest brother, Joseph Reiman, was charged with assault and three counts of official misconduct on June 9 in the violent arrest of a teen first reported by NJ Advance Media. The indicted officer has since been suspended with pay and the state and local PBA are expected to cover his legal fees, according to people with knowledge of his defense.
Two sources with knowledge of the outing said they believed some of the money raised was earmarked for the mayor's brother and Daniel Reiman had been actively fundraising for the event.
The charity's chairman, Razzoli, said though, he and others involved in the non-profit haven't decided where the raised money would go.
Razzoli, a recently retired Jersey City officer, said he created the non-profit to improve community relations and he planned to hold events like "Coffee with a Cop" to educate the public on the risks officers take.
Reiman, who was not listed as a sponsor, was seen at the golf outing with his other brother, Charles, who is also a Carteret officer, NJ Advance Media confirmed. Calls to the mayor, who has previously said that he does not get involved with his brother's matters, were not returned.
Razzoli refused to say whether or not Reiman was involved with the non-profit.
A brochure for the golf outing obtained by NJ Advance Media lists a $200-per golfer fee for a round and a price of between $200 and $5,000 for a sponsorship.
Gardner, who incorporated the non-profit, also serves as treasurer for the borough's Municipal Port Authority where he collects an annual salary of $2,000, state records show. The Carteret native works for Hodulik & Morrison, P.A., an accounting firm that has provided auditing services for the borough.
In 2011, Gardner incorporated a political non-profit, H. Truman Social Club Inc., with Reiman, state Sen. Joseph Vitale and two other Carteret men, Eric Chubenko and Henry D'Orsi, on the board of trustees, state records show. No additional records on the club could be found. Gardner has incorporated only one other non-profit, for condo complex association in South Jersey, state records show.
Gardner did not respond to requests for comment.
The new non-profit's secretary, Valdes, is the ex-girlfriend of the 40-year-old mayor, sources say, and property records show the two bought a house together in Carteret in March.
In addition to his post as mayor, Reiman serves as the treasurer for the county's Democratic organization where he is an influential politician and a fierce fundraiser, according to numerous sources. Razzoli is the chairman of the party's local committee in Old Bridge and is running as a first-time candidate for a township council seat.
The Carteret Democratic Organization, which sources say is controlled by Reiman, donated $500 to Razzoli's campaign on June 12, according to NJ Elec records. The local political party organization gave money to one other candidate in Old Bridge on the same day.
The outing attracted donations from politicians and law enforcement associations, but the majority of sponsors were law and engineering firms and others that have contracts with Carteret, including T&M Associates. The Middletown-based engineering consultant has had a number of contracts in the borough and donated more than $55,000 to borough election war chests over the last decade, state records show.
Calls were made to the 22 sponsors and the three who responded said they did not know much about the non-profit beyond what was described in the outing's brochure.
Carteret Councilman A.J. Johal, who was appointed to the council by the local Democratic party in March of 2016, was listed as a sponsor, as well as his small chain of Central Jersey gas stations, Racestar Inc. Johal declined to comment on the outing.
New Jersey Turnpike Commissioner Raymond Pocino also received a brochure for the outing and requested a $500 donation from the union fund he founded, according to a representative who answered the phone at the Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund.
State Senator Raymond Lesniak was listed as a sponsor. Lesniak, though, said he did not sponsor the event. He said he paid $200 to play a round of golf on an invitation from Razzoli but did not attend.
Razzoli said he was unsure how much money the event raised.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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