Lawyer: Mercer punishing local man

Whistleblower claim disputed by county

By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
   A Mercer County employee from East Windsor charged with criminal computer activity is a whistleblower facing retribution, according to his attorney, Robin Lord.
   But Deputy County Counsel Sarah Crowley says Ms. Lord’s accusation is “crazy” and “ludicrous.”
   Marc Geissel, 35, of Kingsley Court, was indicted last week on charges of criminal computer activity, unlawful access and disclosure of computer data, and official misconduct.
   He was a two-and-a-half year employee of the County Office of Information Technology, and is alleged to have accessed information about a prior county employee from county Inspector General Robert Farkas’ computer and then “knowingly and recklessly” disclosed the data, according to the prosecutor’s office.
   Mr. Geissel was suspended from his county job pending the outcome of his criminal charges and no further disciplinary action was taken against him, Ms. Crowley said this week.
   Ms. Lord said the county is using Mr. Geissel as a scapegoat because he gathered information that allegedly exposed a former employee for theft. He is accused of releasing that data to a prospective employer of his colleague, Ms. Lord said.
   ”Marc did nothing wrong,” she said. “We plan to vigorously defend the case, and the allegations will not be sustained at trial.”
   Ms. Lord went on to say she believes the county should be independently investigated for its own conduct.
   Ms. Crowley acknowledged that there was another person who was previously accused of theft, but said Mr. Geissel was not the one who brought forward information about that employee. That tip, she said, came from an anonymous source.
   The whistleblower allegation, she added, is a “red herring” invented by Ms. Lord.
   Ms. Crowley added that Mr. Geissel was charged eight months after the allegations of theft were made against the other employee.
   She maintained that “Marc Geissel never tipped anyone off to anything.” She would not reveal the identity of the alleged tipster citing that it was a personnel matter.
   For her part, Ms. Lord countered by calling the anonymous source a “figment of (Ms. Crowley’s) imagination,” and reiterated her claim that Mr. Geissel was indeed the source.
   A date for Mr. Geissel’s arraignment has not yet been scheduled, said prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio.
   He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, she added.