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Retired Maj. Gerald Lewis claims in a new lawsuit that he was targeted by Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes as part of a bogus, racially motivated internal investigation into an anonymous letter about Fuentes' personal life.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

TRENTON — A former high-ranking State Police commander who oversaw the division's minority recruitment efforts claims in a new lawsuit that he was targeted by Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes as part of a bogus, racially motivated internal investigation.



The commander, Maj. Gerald Lewis, a 26-year veteran who was the public face of the State Police's top brass in the black community, accuses Fuentes of seeking to end his career by blaming him for an anonymous letter about the colonel's personal life.



Lewis asserts in the lawsuit that Fuentes directed investigators to find out who sent the letter, which has circulated during the past year and claims the colonel fathered a child with a mistress and was using a lieutenant to secretly ferry child support payments.



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.



"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 states.



An attorney for Lewis, George Daggett, declined to elaborate. The Attorney General's Office, which oversees the State Police, and a spokesman for the force declined comment. A spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie did not return a request for comment.

But the allegations are another headache for Christie, who has been beset this week by questions about his staff's role in the decision to close two local access lanes on to the George Washington Bridge in September, causing massive traffic jams.



The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in state Superior Court in Mercer County, reveals a simmering war atop the state's leading law enforcement agency, and provides another example of how troopers believe internal affairs can be used to attack rivals and stymie careers.



And the claims come just weeks before the State Police are set to take center stage as a lead agency in charge of providing security for the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.

After 26 years on the force, Lewis said his career began to unexpectedly unravel this summer when the letter about Fuentes began to circulate. The lawsuit claims a similar letter appeared in 2009 and 2012, but no internal investigations were conducted.

A copy of one of the anonymous letters was sent to The Star-Ledger, but the allegations made about Fuentes could not be substantiated.



The lawsuit claims that an internal investigation was ordered by Fuentes and was assigned to Lt. David Kushnir, who, with the consent of the colonel, "turned the investigation into the personal and professional life" of Lewis.



As part of the probe, the lawsuit states, other high-ranking troopers were questioned about Lewis and his ambitions, and they were asked to fill out a criminal profile — carrying the seal of the FBI — about Lewis' personality and personal life.



The questionnaire asked about Lewis' "family background, physical characteristics and appearance, health, education, employment, social and interpersonal relationships, hobbies and leisure" and "personality behavior attitudes," according to the lawsuit.



Another document asked troopers to rate Lewis based on more than "200 personality traits such as cheerful or somber, confident or insecure" and "rational or irrational."



As part of the internal review, the lawsuit claims, Fuentes ordered the State Police's technology experts to grant him access to Lewis' emails and phone records, and that any questions about the investigation were to be forwarded to Lt. Col. Matthew Wilson.



On Oct. 13, Lewis was interviewed by Kushnir and another investigator, the lawsuit said.



"Are you ambitious?" Lewis claims he was asked.



"I am a black man in the New Jersey State Police, you're damn right I am ambitious," Lewis replied, according to the lawsuit.



Lewis claims Fuentes "resented" his close ties with high-ranking state officials and wanted him to become the commander of Troop C, which is based in Hamilton Township and oversees central New Jersey.



"The purpose of offering the Troop C Major position to (Lewis) was to remove him from Division Headquarters and in that way, remove him from his work in the area of diversity and to guarantee that he would not be elevated tot he position of colonel," the suit said.



Lewis was the highest-ranking black trooper at the time of his retirement Dec. 1, and he built many of the connections between the State Police and the black community in the years after a damaging racial profiling scandal rocked the force in the 1990s.



He oversaw the Office of Community Affairs, including the division's press office, and was the most outspoken advocate within the State Police for bolstering minority representation, making personal pitches to young men and woman across the state.



After a decade of failing to attract more black recruits and threats of a lawsuit from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a fresh focus on the issue last year resulted in the most diverse class of new troopers in division history.

Lewis is seeking damages for discrimination and for being retaliated against for repeatedly objecting to the lack of diversity within the State Police.

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