N.J. Senate presidents chief of staff resigns, will plead guilty to tax charges

The chief of staff to New Jersey state Senate President Nicholas Scutari has resigned as he plans to plead guilty to federal tax charges, Scutari confirmed Saturday.

Tony Teixiera has long been a top figure in Union County politics, serving as head of the local Democratic Party in Elizabeth and previously working as chief of staff to former state Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union.

Teixiera has been Scutaris chief of staff since 2018. That includes the last 10 months after Scutari, D-Union, became Senate president the second-highest ranking elected state position in New Jersey after the governor in January.

Tony Teixeira will be admitting to federal tax violations, Scutari said in a statement. I have received his resignation.

Tim Lydon, who recently became executive director of the Senate Democratic office, will serving as Scutaris acting chief of staff in the interim. Lydon will hold both jobs. Get politics news like this right to your inbox with the N.J. Politics newsletter. Add your email below and hit “subscribe”
      

NJ Globe was the first to report the news.

Teixeira could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Scutari said Teixeira has unquestionably endured his share of hardships, and while he has served the public in many admirable capacities and is a friend, nonetheless he erred and I acknowledge that.

I am glad Tony is accepting responsibility for his personal financial actions, the Senate president added. Whether you are in elected office or serving as a member of staff, residents deserve the highest of standards and public officials beyond reproach.

We constantly strive to earn the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey, and I look forward to continuing our hard work on behalf of our great State, Scutari continued.

Details about the charges are unclear, though two sources with direct knowledge of the situation say Scutari is not implicated in the case, which relates to a time before Teixeira worked for him. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

One source said the charges stem from a separate investigation into Sean Caddle, a former Jersey City political operative who pled guilty in a plot to murder a long-time associate. The source said the charges against Teixiera are not related to that plot but were unearthed by the investigation.

A document obtained by Politico New Jersey in March said state investigators were examining payments Caddle allegedly made to Teixeira.

In the document, the state Attorney Generals Office demanded Caddle and his consulting firm to identify the purpose of a dozen payments totaling $46,000 it says the firm, Arkady, made to Teixeira and his late wife, between May 2015 and September 2017, according to the Politico report.

Teixiera told the website at the time this was the first he heard about those subpoenas or any of that stuff and declined to comment.

His wife, Marlenes Teixeira, died in 2017 at age 35, having suffered a brain hemorrhage after giving birth to twins.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.