newjerseynewsroom.com

Governor's choice must be approved by state Senate

Ronald Chillemi, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Newark and Camden, has been nominated by Gov. Chris Christie to be the state’s insurance fraud prosecutor.

Chillemi, 43, a Bergen County resident, was an assistant U.S. attorney for nearly nine years and prosecuted a series of significant white-collar crime cases and successfully tried numerous jury trials. He has won two national awards for his work, including “Prosecutor of the Year” by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in 2010 and a U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance in 2006. Prior to serving as a federal prosecutor, Chillemi practiced civil law for two years at the Philadelphia firm of Dilworth Paxson, and served four years as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, where he prosecuted major felony cases.

“Ron brings great energy and a wealth of investigative and prosecutorial experience to this position,” Christie said Friday. “He has dedicated his career to prosecutorial public service. I am confident that he will re-invigorate the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.”

Chillemi must be confirmed by the state Senate. He will serve in an acting capacity in the interim. He replaces John Kennedy who served as acting insurance fraud prosecutor.

“Ron Chillemi brings an abundance of talent and experience to his new position,” state Attorney General Paula T. Dow said. “The Department of Law and Public Safety is fortunate to have a quality professional of this magnitude. I am confident that he will build on the solid foundation that the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor has established during its thirteen-year history.”

“I am honored to be nominated to this position and look forward to leading the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor in vigorously investigating and prosecuting those who seek to defraud our insurance systems,” Chillemi said.

The Insurance Fraud Prosecutor oversees the investigation of all types of insurance fraud, and serves as the focal point for investigations of insurance and Medicaid fraud in New Jersey. The prosecutor supervises a staff of 125 attorneys, investigators, and support personnel.

If confirmed by the Senate, Chillemi will become the third insurance fraud prosecutor since the office was created in 1998. Both prior prosecutors, Edward M. Neafsey and Greta Gooden-Brown, went on to become judges of the state Superior Court.

Chillemi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, earned a master’s degree at the London School of Economics & Political Science in 1991, and his law degree from Cornell Law School in 1996. He and his wife have a child

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM