Left: Kelly Yaede speaks at a Donald Trump Rally. Right: Jeff Martin speaks at his announcement in January. Photos and graphic by Michael A. Sabo.

Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede who has been criminally charged with having a role in releasing the expunged records of her GOP rival David Henderson along with her primary campaign manager Dan Scharfenberger by the Mercer County Prosecutor have both lawyered up.

Yaede and Scharfenberger were each charged after an investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, which filed the disorderly person offenses in Hamilton Municipal Court.

The pair attacked Yaede’s Republican primary opponent David Henderson, who had been overly critical of Yaede’s performance as mayor and retaliated by releasing Henderson’s past criminal records which had been legally expunged on an anonymous blog that attempted to appear a news website.

Authorities say Yaede’s campaign manager, Dan Scharfenberger, was the blog’s administrator, and he and Yaede controlled the blog’s content – even though her campaign has said publicly they had no idea who was behind the online site.

According to the records released, Henderson violated a restraining order and faced an assault charge in 2001.  The charges against Henderson were eventually dismissed and expunged.

Martin, Fellow Councilmembers Call for Yaede to Step Aside and Take Leave Until Legal Drama Subsides.

Jeff Martin, Hamilton Council President and candidate for Mayor in the upcoming November election called for Yaede to take a leave of absence pending the result of the criminal charges filed against her.

“Enough is enough. Enough of the drama. Enough of the corruption. Enough of the abuses of power. It’s time for Mayor Yaede to finally accept responsibility for her actions. It’s time for Mayor Yaede to take her own advice that she gave to Mayor Bencivengo when he was criminally charged and, at the very least, take a leave of absence pending the result of the criminal charges filed against her.”

The entire text of Jeff Martin’s Statement from Facebook:

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE JEFF MARTIN STATEMENT ON CRIMINAL CHARGE AGAINST MAYOR YAEDE

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE JEFF MARTIN STATEMENT ON CRIMINAL CHARGE AGAINST MAYOR YAEDEHamilton, NJ – “Yesterday was another sad chapter for Hamilton's families — one in a long book of sad chapters under Mayor Kelly Yaede's stewardship. Mayor Yaede, the chief executive of Hamilton Township, was charged by the county prosecutor with actions that can only be described as unacceptable and shocking abuses of power.” "Unfortunately, this is not the first time Kelly Yaede has embarrassed the township with her official actions. She and her associates consistently use bullying tactics against people who speak out against her administration. The Trentonian has previously reported that four people have accused Yaede and her administration of harassment. When the town's CFO questioned Yaede's travel expenses, she suspended him and asked her brother-in-law to approve the reimbursement instead. Earlier this year, the prosecutor charged two of her close associates with criminal offenses. And just yesterday, a member of the Hamilton police department told the press that she is a 'corrupt' mayor who needed to be criminally charged.”"Enough is enough. Enough of the drama. Enough of the corruption. Enough of the abuses of power. It's time for Mayor Yaede to finally accept responsibility for her actions. It’s time for Mayor Yaede to take her own advice that she gave to Mayor Bencivengo when he was criminally charged and, at the very least, take a leave of absence pending the result of the criminal charge filed against her.” “If she cannot accept responsibility, Hamilton residents must come together this November and use their power to close the book on this mayor.”VIDEO CLIP FROM ANNOUNCEMENT SPEECH, JANUARY 2019

Posted by Martin, Papero & Phillips for Hamilton on Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Martin’s Colleagues on Council, both Republican and Democrat joined the chorus calling for Yaede to “step aside”.

Council Vice President Rick Tighe (D), and Council members Anthony Carabelli (D) and Ileana Schirmer (R) join Council President Jeff Martin in calling for Mayor Kelly Yaede to take a leave of absence until her legal challenges are resolved.

“Despite the Mayor’s denials, the cloud of corruption, intimidation, and paranoia that the Mayor has created are hindering the ability of government to function as it should,” said Tighe.

“This is an abuse of power by a Mayor who is demonstrating every day that she is unfit for office,” said Schirmer.

“Hamiltonians want a government that is both ethical and transparent.  The Mayor has failed to provide those two qualities” said Councilman Carabelli.  “I support Council President Martin’s request for her leave after this most recent charge.  Our community expects more.”

High Profile Attorneys Hired

Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede has retained high profile criminal attorney Robin Kay Lord as her attorney. Yaede has not issued a statement since the charges were filed and was more than happy to let Lord do all the talking who issued this statement on Wednesday:

Yaede is an honest public servant, Lord said. “She never violated the law, any law, takes her oath seriously, and takes her responsibility to public service seriously.”

Yaede’s criminal defense attorney Robin Lord has defended some of the highest-profile criminal cases in New Jersey. From the sexual assault on a minor to attempted murder of a police officer to First Degree Murder.

Lord was the defense attorney for Vasil “Billy” Heisler in the shooting of former Mercer County Sheriff’s Officer Joshua Hahn at a Broad Street Pizzeria. Heisler was found guilty and sentenced to 50 years in prison

Lord also defended the highly controversial criminal case of Harry Thomas, the 75-year-old founder of Come Alive Church who was convicted and received an 18-year prison term for sexual offenses against five young girls.

Before the Yaede case, Lord was recently in the news as the defense attorney for David Lamar who was indicted on aggravated manslaughter, death by auto and six counts of assault by auto charges in connection with allegedly recklessly causing the death of Michael T. Sot a student at The College of New Jersey – and injured five of his friends.

“She is the Johnnie Cochran of our area, God rest his soul, explained a fellow attorney who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation as a Hamilton resident. If someone can find an angle to get you off, she can.”

Cochran was the famous attorney who defended OJ Simpson which led to a not guilty verdict of the murder Simpson’s wife, Nicole.

Henderson, the alleged victim in the charges filed against Yaede had this to say in a statement about Yaede’s attorney Robin Lord when asked for comment:

You know the type of criminals Robin Lord defends….drug dealers, murderers…rapists…the guilty. So that should tell you everything you need to know. If it’s just a $200 fine like Yaede’s minions Vinnie “White Shoes, the born again Republican” Capodanno, Little Dennis Pone, and “I’ll get back to you” Dave Kenny have all claimed, why do you hire her (referring to Lord), I’ll tell you why, because Kelly “the fraud” and the “Cracker Jack” Scarfenburger are guilty of not only this but a whole lot more, that’s why!

Dan Scharfenberger, Yaede’s primary campaign manager who has also been charged has retained local criminal attorney Les Hartman of KMH&L.

Hartman is also the attorney for Jeff Plunkett, the township Health Officer who has been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and official miscount by the Mercer County Prosecutors Office.

Scharfenberger is the son of Monmouth County Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger who is currently running for a seat in the NJ State Assembly in Monmouth, and has apparently moved on from the Yaede Campaign after the primary to bigger and better things and is the political director for the Tom Kean Jr. for Congress campaign according to his now hidden Linkedin profile.

Calls to Kean Jr. for Congress campaign as to Scharfenberger’s employment status with his campaign went unreturned as well as a call to his elected Freeholder father, Gerry Scharfenberger, for comment.

Scharfenberger the self-professed, Raconteur or “a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way”, according to his linked in page, denied knowing that Henderson’s arrest records were expunged and let his attorney do the talking as well, proclaiming his client’s innocence.

Hartman, while not nearly as high profile as Lord is a former Assistant Prosecutor at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office.

The irony is Hartman’s pitch video on his firm’s website is about the CDP Program in NJ and how to get your criminal record expunged. See below:

The hearing has been transferred to Ewing. A Superior Court judge on Thursday assigned it to Ewing’s court, in front of Judge Roger Haley – Mercer County’s chief, or presiding, municipal court justice.

The date of the hearing has not been made public at this time.