TOMS RIVER, NJ – They call it political research, but when Ocean County Assemblyman and Toms River Township Attorney Greg McGuckin green-lighted a Republican party-funded spying operation against two of its own members it raised the question of who else is this political pay-to-play power broker spying on?
Rumors have always persisted in Ocean County that political operatives aligned with McGuckin operate a Gestapo-like propaganda and intelligence gathering organization. Back in 2006, former Toms River Republican Club President and former Chief of Police Richard Clement documented it clearly. Clement was concerned about it, enough to call it out behind the scenes.
In emails obtained by Shore News Network, Clement cautioned against the use of Nazi-style propaganda and investigations into the race of Gregory McGuckin, Mo Hill, and Virginia Haines for township council. Clement warned against the use of certain party members, saying their political messaging used similar tactics as those used in Nazi Germany.
McGuckin eventually had to bow out of the race for office due to unpaid taxes and IRS liens being levied against his Toms River home, but the operation continued after his departure.
Everyone involved in politics knows McGuckin rules with an iron fist and often in a very totalitarian and dictatorial manner. For years, McGuckin has threatened jobs, livelihoods, and careers of those who oppose him politically. McGuckin is vulnerable.
He had IRS place multiple liens against his home totaling well over $100,000. He desperately needs to protect his public sources of income from the 21 or so political appointments he receives annually in New Jersey.
Political opponents are not just political threats, they are financial threats to McGuckin.
This week, we learned just how far his thirst for power and protection of his law firm’s nearly $4,000,000 in public jobs will go.
The Asbury Park Press revealed McGuckin paid one of his lawyer friends to hire a private investigator to follow a Lavallette police officer who is also a town council member and his wife. That surveillance included taking ‘thousands’ of pictures of the couple while they shopped, attended events and traveled the community.
In total, McGuckin spent $8,000 of money raised by the Ocean County GOP to fund his voyeuristic operation.
That’s just what we know. Unfortunately, the GOP deleted all of their emails and removed all of the files from the party’s headquarters the night McGuckin’s faction was removed from power.
Who else did McGuckin spy on? Were there other clandestine operations against reporters? People who spoke out at town meetings against him? Other elected officials? And why was McGuckin using GOP funds to investigate his own personal political opponents?
It has long been known that McGuckin demanded opposition research against all who opposed him. That research was often published by some of McGuckin’s more nefarious inner circle to defame, libel and slander those who opposed him.
The GOP this week announced that it intends to file a lawsuit against McGuckin not only to recoup the misappropriated $8,000 bill for his personal spying operation, but that lawsuit could shed light on other spying operations directed by McGuckin.
In 2006, Chief of Police Clement’s warnings about McGuckin’s team’s ‘nazi style propaganda’ were ignored. Maybe today, it needs to be looked at a bit closer.
We attempted to reach McGuckin for comment but were unsuccessful. At Wednesday’s Toms River Township Council meeting, McGuckin said his spying operations were not the public’s concern.
We also reached out to Toms River lawyer Kevin Riordan who moved GOP funds from McGuckin, in secret to a Monmouth County private investigator. He never responded either.
Another person who wouldn’t speak to us was Barry Colicelli, President/CEO at On Target Law Enforcement and Security Consultants LLC, who executed McGuckin’s spying operation.