Atlantic County Sheriff Jim McGettigan, the
Democratic candidate for County Executive, is outraged that the
Administration of County Executive Dennis Levinson has hired a
lawyer who provides free legal advice online to operators of
hardcore pornography websites to serve as a county conflicts and
labor attorney.
“Mr. Levinson showed inexplicably poor judgment in hiring Eric
Bernstein without disclosing this obvious conflict and controversy.
As of this morning there are 234 sex offenders in Atlantic
County. We don’t need a representative of our government giving away
free advice on how to skirt the law and access hardcore
pornography,” said McGettigan. “We demand open and honest
government that gives us answers, and we demand real action be
taken.”
The lawyer, Eric M. Bernstein, has been fired from public jobs
around the state because he admitted billing taxpayers for work
while at the same time advocating legal services for porn sites.
Bernstein’s firm, Eric M. Bernstein and Associates has long earned
money from the porn industry, while Bernstein himself moderates
chat.ynotmasters.com, a website dispensing free legal advice to
pornographers. Chat.ynotmasters.com is billed as the ultimate adult
webmaster resource site, and is a one-stop-shop for peddlers of the
online hardcore pornography industry.
McGettigan demands action and answers to the following:
- Mr. Bernstein claims he’s been up-front with prospective
clients about his porn interests. If so, with whom was he
up-front here in Atlantic County? Why would the Levinson
Administration hire him if they knew this information?
- Did Mr. Bernstein bill Atlantic County taxpayers for legal
work while representing porn peddlers? I’m demanding a formal,
public review of his bills.
- Mr. Bernstein should come before the Freeholder Board and
explain his representation of the porn industry. If he refuses,
the Board should take immediate steps to rescind his contract.
After Neptune Township, the Borough of High Bridge, and
Washington Township (Warren County) discovered Bernstein’s links to
smut peddlers, they all either dismissed or refused to renew his
contract. Demanding that action be taken, McGettigan said, “The
public has a right to know why and how the Levinson Administration
hired this porn lawyer, and whether he’s representing us on our
dime, not pornographers.”