Sussex County GOP takes a plea bargain in NJELEC case.
By Contributor Sussex County Watchdog
Politicians are like little children. When they get caught messing up, they never take responsibility for being in charge, they pass the buck and blame others. They not only lie about it, but they also accuse those who caught them of lying.
This is what Bill Spadea is doing when he attacks Jack Ciattarelli instead of taking responsibility.
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJELEC) has a timeline for reviewing EVERY campaign and committee filing in their possession. They are currently up to 2023. This is a standard review and isn’t necessarily in response to any proactive complaint.
When NJELEC finds something wrong, they file a Complaint, send notice to the Committee and the Committee’s treasurer, and give them an opportunity for a hearing – to obtain the facts – before issuing a Final Decision and (possibly) levying a fine.
On June 25, 2025, NJELEC announced that it had filed “a Complaint against the Sussex County Republican Committee” and its Treasurer. The four-count complaint alleges, in part, the following:
That the Sussex County GOP filed a D-3 Report due on July 10, 2023, 116 days late.
That the Sussex County GOP filed R-3 Reports (due April 17, 2023; July 17, 2023; and October 16, 2023) 90 days late, 100 days late, and 92 days late, respectively.
That the Sussex County GOP entirely failed to file a Notice of a 72-Hour Contribution made on October 25, 2023.
That the Sussex County GOP entirely failed to file a Notice of 72-Hour Contribution for FOUR separate contributions made on November 1, 2023.
You can search all NJELEC’s Complaints and Final Decisions here:
https://www.njelecefilesearch.com/SearchComplaintsDecisions
You can find the Complaint against the Sussex County Republican Committee by going to the “Date Released” box and clicking 06/25/2025 on the menu. Hit “search” and you will find the Complaint against the Sussex County Republican Committee is the last of six Complaints issued by NJELEC that day. Download the PDF and read the entire Complaint for yourself. Here is what you will read:
That’s right. Guilt isn’t assumed and a fine isn’t automatic. A hearing is offered to get to the facts and establish blame, if any.
If you continue reading the Complaint, you will find that it covers FOUR COUNTS with four “proposed findings of fact” and “four proposed conclusions of law”. Each of the FOUR COUNTS carries a proposed penalty:
COUNT ONE:
COUNT TWO:
COUNT THREE:
COUNT FOUR:
Do the math yourself: A fine of up to $9,800 per count equals $39,200.
This is reflected in the headlines used by various blogs that reported on this story, like our headline: “Sussex County GOP facing NJELEC fines of up to $39,200.”
So, why is Sussex County Republican Committee Chairman Joe Labarbera lying to his Committee and claiming otherwise? The facts are there. You can read the Complaint and do the math yourself.
Labarbera also misled his Committee in the run-up to his re-election. In an email to the Committee (“Why I’m running for SCRC Chairman”), Chairman Joe wrote: “Our elec filing was complained against frivolously.”
Well, unless he can prove otherwise, it was NJELEC that noticed the discrepancies and they didn't think it was frivolous. They issued a formal Complaint.
And instead of asking for a hearing to establish the facts and discover who was at fault, Chairman Joe asked for what is essentially a plea bargain. He, on behalf of the Committee, admitted fault, and agreed to pay a fine (so he reports in his email to the Committee of July 3, 2025) of $1,954. If he was so sure, as he writes, that it was his Treasurer's fault, why not explain that at the hearing?
Of course, NJELEC has not issued a Final Decision. Any resolution of the problem is unofficial until it does.
The NJELEC Complaint Number is C-O 1900 0001 22-Q2023 and only addresses filings covering 2023. The real trouble for the Sussex County Republican Committee lies ahead, in the future, when NJELEC gets around to examining the Committee’s filings for 2024. These have been extensively written about earlier and, predictably, Chairman Joe said the concerns raised were “lies”, while offering no explanation for anomalies such as this:
On its fourth quarter report for 2024, the Sussex County Republican Committee reported three depository accounts. None of the closing balances appear to align with the opening balance, deposits, and expenditures. The math doesn't add up.
According to the amended D-3 Form filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJELEC) on December 5, 2024, the Sussex County Republican Committee has two accounts.
Anthony Alfano of Hamburg is listed as the Treasurer, and the Chairman, Joe Labarbera, is authorized by NJELEC to sign checks:
The quarterly reports are notable for the number of times it takes the Sussex County Republican Committee to get them right. For example, the second quarter required four amendments, and the third quarter needed five amendments to produce the same report that other county party organizations (such as the Sussex County Democrats) file with no amendments.
So, the Sussex County Republican Committee’s problems look to be just starting. We expect to hear a lot of Spadea-like shrieks and cries in the future. Everybody is against me! They are all liars! I am the Great Cornholio!
Have a great Independence Day!