Cooper expects to make a Cabinet-level salary, between $137,000 – $141,000 for the year. She hopes to have a staff of 12 and a budget of $3 million.
By John Tredrea
Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey has named attorney Mary Jane Cooper an expert in complex fraud investigations and a Titusville resident for 26 years as New Jersey’s first inspector general.
Ms. Cooper, who did not have an office as of press time, said Tuesday that she is "going down (to Trenton) on Friday to see" about her office situation.
Her new one-year position, she said, was created by executive order and for that reason her appointment does not require state Senate confirmation. If pending legislation goes through, her job would be a five-year position and then Senate conformation would be necessary, Ms. Cooper said.
The new inspector general expects to make a Cabinet-level salary, between $137,000 – $141,000 for the year. She hopes to have a staff of 12 and a budget of $3 million.
"Mary Jane has the experience to uncover fraud, the experience to root out mismanagement and the experience to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely," Gov. Codey said. "She is a professional, not a politician. She has unquestioned integrity and superior character and she is willing to ask tough questions and take investigations wherever they go."
Gov. Codey announced the appointment of Ms. Cooper, 63, during a Statehouse news conference Jan. 20. The governor characterized the appointment as part of an effort to restore confidence in the integrity of government.
"I am humbled and honored by the confidence Gov. Codey has placed in me," Ms. Cooper said. "I will use the experience and skills that I developed as a state prosecutor and in private practice to bring together a team that will work successfully to uncover waste, mismanagement and fraud."
Ms. Cooper said that, as inspector general, she will be authorized to investigate "any area where state money is spent."
A single mother, Ms. Cooper raised two children while attending law school at Rutgers University. Upon graduating in 1979, she began work as deputy attorney general in the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. Many of her prosecutions involved white-collar crimes, including insurance fraud, gender-related crimes, and false construction claims, a spokesman for the governor’s office said. These cases involved pyramid schemes and complex document trails created by wrongdoers to conceal their activities, as well as sorting out conflicting witness statements, a press release from Gov. Codey’s office said.
In 1989, Ms. Cooper joined Stier Anderson, a law firm based in Skillman and headed by Ed Stier, former director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. As a member of the firm, Ms. Cooper conducted investigations into such areas as misuse of corporate assets, procurement fraud, falsification of engineering analyses, mismanagement of safety issues, conflict of interest, discrimination, and retaliation.
During these investigations, she worked with experts in nuclear engineering, internal auditors, regulators, members of management, boards of directors and trustees, and public officials, as well as internal and outside counsel representing the client in related legal matters.
Recently, Ms. Cooper led the firm’s efforts in conducting independent investigations of allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination, the press release said.
Outside counsel have recommended Ms. Cooper to more than 20 employers to investigate allegations against high-level managers, and have then used the firm’s findings to resolve the matters without litigation. Among those for whom Ms. Cooper has conducted these investigations are publicly traded and privately held companies engaged in a variety of businesses, as well as government entities.

