News
Prosecutor Dismisses Charges Against Colts Neck Contractor
By John Burton
FREEHOLD - A North Brunswick man, who was facing a criminal charge alleging he failed to pay compensation to a business for work it had done, recently had those charges dismissed.
Irwin Nudelman, 55, had been facing a Monmouth County grand jury indictment. That indictment, handed down on last Nov. 18, charged Nudelman with theft of services for allegedly not paying a plumbing contractor nearly $120,000.
Had he been convicted of the offense, Nudelman stood to face as much as 10 years in prison, according to attorney Robert A. Honecker, with Ansell, Zaro, Grimm, and Aaron, Ocean, who represented Nudelman.
The grand jury alleged Nudelman was the owner and operator of MG Group, a general construction contracting business, headquartered on State Highway 34 South, in Colts Neck, and involved in residential construction projects in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties, The grand jury charged that Nudelman, in his capacity as the firm's owner, failed to pay Metrocorp Plumbing for the work done at various job sites between Feb. 2007 and May 2008. Law enforcement officials alleged Nudelman owed $119,074 to the plumbing contractor.
Honecker argued and provided the prosecutor's office with evidence that Nudelman was not in fact the owner of the Colts Neck business, but merely an employee, among other exculpatory information the lawyer submitted to authorities. Based upon those factors, Honecker said, authorities agreed to dismiss the charge.
State Superior Court Judge Jamie S. Perri formally dismissed the complaint on March 8.
Nudelman's role with the company was that of a project coordinator, responsible for working with the subcontractors on the various projects underway, explained Honecker.
The dismissal of the charges, "is not the normal course in a criminal case," Honecker said of this instance.
"In this case, I certainly believe the Prosecutor's Office did the right thing in reviewing the submitted evidence and ultimately dismissing the indictment," he said, calling the prosecutor's decision, "A clear vindication of my client as well as the company he worked for."
Nudelman was not available for comment, but in a statement released by his lawyer, he said, "I am glad this nightmare is over."
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on this matter.
