A former municipal judge who falsified records as part of a five-year ticket-fixing scheme has been recommended for disbarment.
Richard Thompson, who worked as a part-time municipal judge in nine Monmouth County municipal courts before his suspension in 2015, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree falsifying records in February 2018 after a multiyear investigation. The Asbury Park Press reports the state Office of Attorney Ethics issued a formal motion asking the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Review Board to disbar Thompson.
The state Supreme Court will review Thompson's case and issue an order.
From 2010 to 2015, Thompson converted roughly 4,000 motor vehicle ticket fines to contempt of court sanctions without any legal basis to do so. Thompson has admitted that was done to steer money to the towns he served.
