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Acting state Attorney General John Hoffman said today he will investigate claims that State Police Col. Rick Fuentes targeted his former head of minority recruitment in a bogus, racially motivated internal investigation.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

TRENTON — Acting state Attorney General John Hoffman said today he will investigate allegations that State Police Col. Rick Fuentes racially discriminated against the force's retired head of minority recruitment by making him the target of a bogus internal investigation.

The claims surfaced Friday in a lawsuit filed by Maj. Gerald Lewis, a 26-year veteran and the public face of the State Police's top brass in the black community, who accuses Fuentes of ending his career out of fear he might be chosen as the next superintendent

"We have received and are reviewing the complaint," Hoffman said in a statement. "We take allegations of this nature seriously and will investigate the allegations fully."

He added, "Let there be no misunderstanding, however, regarding our commitment to diversity in the State Police. That commitment resulted in the two most diverse classes in State Police history, and we anticipate maintaining that positive trend in the future."

The announcement of the investigation comes two days after some of the state's most influential black leaders expressed outrage over the allegations and said that if the claims against Fuentes are true, he must resign or be forced out by Gov. Chris Christie.

Several of those leaders discussed the matter at a meeting today in Newark. Rev. Steffie Bartley, a pastor in Elizabeth who attended the meeting, declined comment on the discussions, saying a news release on the matter would be issued as soon as Tuesday.

The controversy carries big implications for Christie, who courted black support during his re-election campaign and who is already under fire for his staff's role in the George Washington Bridge lane closures and his use of federal Hurricane Sandy relief money.

The Attorney General's Office had, until today, declined comment on the lawsuit.

During his time with the State Police, Lewis built strong ties with the office and helped to not only turn around minority recruitment, but also acted as a public liaison, including after the 2012 revelations of spying on Muslims by the New York Police Department.

Many black leaders considered him a strong contender to be the next superintendent of the State Police, in part because of the force's checkered history of racial profiling, and in part because Christie personally committed to increasing diversity.

The State Police declined comment on the lawsuit, and the governor's office and Fuentes did not return requests for comment.

The lawsuit asserts Fuentes last year ordered an investigation to find out who sent a letter accusing him of various personal indiscretions, including fathering a child with a mistress and using a lieutenant to secretly ferry child support payments.

A similar letter was sent to The Star-Ledger, but the allegations could not be substantiated.

Without a shred of evidence, Lewis alleges in the lawsuit, he became the target in the investigation, which he said was a tool to undermine his credibility because some feared he might be in line to replace Fuentes as the next State Police superintendent.

Lewis asserts in the lawsuit that Fuentes gained access to his e-mail and phone records, and that several troopers were interviewed by an investigator about his ambitions and asked to fill out criminal profiles and questionnaires about his personality.

He also claims Fuentes attempted to persuade him to take a job as commander of Troop C, which oversees central New Jersey, in order to get him out of State Police headquarters in West Trenton, where the two worked closely together.

"Because of his reputation for diversity, and his good relationship with the Attorney General’s Office, it was feared by high-ranking members of the State Police that he would be the next Colonel of the State Police," the lawsuit stated.

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