more denials in the NJ governor scandal

N.J. SEX SCANDAL

Cipel: I was threatened to keep quiet

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 23, 2004

TRENTON - A former aide at the center of the sex and political scandal in New Jersey said he was told by associates of Gov. James E. McGreevey to be quiet or face deportation, according to his attorney.

Golan Cipel, an Israeli national and former homeland security adviser, is the man the governor was referring to when he acknowledged that he had a homosexual affair and would resign, McGreevey administration sources say.

After Cipel left state employment in August 2002 following questions about his qualifications, the "governor's representatives" visited Cipel at his home and warned him not to go public about his relationship with the governor, Rachel Yosevitz told The Philadelphia Inquirer for yesterday's editions.

"They made it clear that the governor would do as he pleased and that if he wanted to have him deported, he would have him deported," Yosevitz told the newspaper.

McGreevey's lawyer, William Lawler, denied the allegations. "That is not true," he said.

Cipel, who returned to his family's home in Israel last week, said he was harassed by the governor. Cipel's attorneys said McGreevey harassed Cipel, who denies being gay, more than a dozen times during the eight months he was on the state payroll.

The last "sexual assault" occurred in August 2002, according to Cipel attorney Allen Lowy, who has refused to specify the conduct involved.

McGreevey said he engaged in a consensual relationship with another man, whom administration officials have identified as Cipel.

Yosevitz told the newspaper that Cipel is expected to return to the United States this week and will decide whether to sue. The statute of limitations for a lawsuit would expire at the end of August, which is two years from when Cipel left state government.

McGreevey first met Cipel during a trip to Israel in 2000, where Cipel was working as a spokesman for a local government. McGreevey later asked him to come to the United States to work on his 2001 gubernatorial campaign.

Cipel's work visa was sponsored by McGreevey's biggest campaign contributor, Charles Kushner. Last week, Kushner pleaded guilty in federal court to making illegal campaign contributions and to trying to obstruct a campaign finance probe. Kushner hired prostitutes to obtain compromising videotapes and photographs of a witness cooperating with the federal investigation.

McGreevey's aides said Cipel wanted $5 million to keep quiet about his relationship with the governor. Cipel's attorneys have declined to discuss the negotiations.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.