State Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, was absent from court more than half the time in 2018 when he served as Linden prosecutor, a job that earned him a $84,659 salary and pension benefits, according to a Linden City Council report.

Scutari, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, was fired in January from the prosecutor post he held for 15 years. Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said at the time that it was because Scutari was "never at work." Scutari said he was fired because of "political differences." He did not respond to an immediate request for comment Tuesday, but denied the allegations to nj.com.

Armstead included with the report a letter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and requested a federal investigation. The U.S. Attorney's Office said it had not received any correspondence from Armstead as of Tuesday afternoon.

The mayor also called on Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, to suspend Scutari from his chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee and said, "Mr. Scutari should give serious consideration to resigning from the New Jersey State Senate and as Union County Democratic chairman."

Linden paid $147,494 for 167 "unapproved days" when Scutari did not appear in Municipal Court between 2014 and 2018, according to the report, which was prepared by the firm Gazaleh Consulting, hired by the Linden City Council in February. The calculation included Scutari's salary, public pension contributions and payroll taxes.

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The city spent $12,000 more on substitute prosecutors to cover Scutari's absences. Scutari was required to be in court three days a week.

"Based on the severity of Nicholas Scutari’s improprieties, it was absolutely necessary to take swift action and call on the authorities to immediately investigate the abuse of public trust," Armstead said.

Armstead and Scutari have been in the midst of a political feud, swiping at each other over appointing council members, pay raises and county committee seats. Scutari heads the Union County Democratic Committee.

"There is a political fight going on in Linden between the mayor and the senator, with many accusations being thrown around," said Richard McGrath, a spokesman for the Senate president. "The Senate president does not intend to get engaged in this fight. Senator Scutari continues to maintain the full support of Senate President Sweeney."

New Jersey allows a legislator to hold a second public job, as long as it is not an elected position.

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Ashley Balcerzak is a reporter in the New Jersey Statehouse. For unlimited access to her work covering New Jersey’s legislature and political power structure, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: balcerzaka@northjersey.com Twitter: @abalcerzak