45°
Lydia Coleman, who worked in the township’s recreation department as a swim instructor from 1995 to 2005, alleged that the harassment began in 2003 and continued for two years. She said she waited six years to file the complaint in 2011 because she feared for her life.
“As I was displeased with the dismissal of the complaint based on the timeliness issue, I do feel that Ms. Coleman had mitigating factors that prohibited a timely filing of this matter,” said her attorney, Mario Blanch. “My client had to live in constant fear of her and her children’s’ safety for numerous years.”
Sacco, who is also North Bergen’s assistant superintendent of schools, didn’t attend the hearing.
His spokesman, Paul Swibinski, later said: “We are very gratified that the committee voted unanimously to dismiss these false charges.”
“In fact, one member, a retired Superior Court judge, said that if this case had been brought before him while he was on the bench, he would have dismissed it on ‘summary judgment’ — which means her case had no merit at all,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this afternoon.
“This is why she never filed a lawsuit, because she would have been counter-sued for filing a frivolous claim,” Swibinski said. “By bringing her case to the ethics committee instead, she prevented that from happening.”
Swibinski also repeated previous comments to CLIFFVIEW PILOT in 2011 that the tape recording of the messages appeared digitally altered.
“Lydia Coleman is a dangerous, violent liar who has been incarcerated, convicted of insurance fraud, gone bankrupt, and sued dozens of times by a wide variety of victims,” he said. “In a 2010 Union County case, she attacked the wife of her boyfriend (a well known gypsy crime boss) and smashed her face into the pavement. She spent four months in the county jail before being released after charges were dropped because the wife refused to cooperate with the prosecution.
“Her mug shot depicts the real Lydia Coleman,” said Swibinski, who sent it (right) to the PILOT.
“Senator Sacco has an unblemished record of integrity over forty years as an educator and an elected official. It is a shame that a disreputable character like Coleman can pull a political stunt like this, with a phony, doctored tape recording, and get away with attacking his reputation with a bunch of outright lies,” he said.
Blanch fired back: “Ms. Coleman had an previous arrest of insurance fraud a few years ago, which was ultimately, later dismissed. Secondly, Mr. Swibinksi had claimed that Ms. Coleman had been arrested for a crime in Linden.
“Also, these charges were ultimately dismissed by a judge in Linden, and a wrongful incarceration lawsuit has been filed by Ms. Coleman against the town of Linden in regards to this matter,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
“These actions were just further proof to show the desperate attempts that Sacco and his cronies would go to avoid the issue that the NJ Senate Ethics Committee agreed with the validity of the recordings of harassing messages that Senator Sacco left Ms. Coleman,” Blanch said.
Coleman issued a brief statement marked by copy errors:
“Senator Sacco[‘s] absence from today’s preceding go[es] to show that he is hiding from [the] truth once again. He has a history of sexually harassing women that must stop now. I hope that no other woman will have to endure the harassment and abuse I received by[from] this deviant.”
Sacco, she said, is “capable of anything, including murder, and I did not want to be a victim or have my children” become victims.
She said she sent her 11-year-old son to live with her former husband out of state, and a 15 year-old daughter to live with a family member, so that no one would know where they lived.
Coleman said she also hid out of fear for several years, moving among the homes of relatives and friends.
Coleman is called a “pig” and a “retard” on voice messages that Blanch said Sacco left for her after she refused his sexual advances.
“You don’t seem to understand. Everything is in my hands,” Sacco is heard saying on one of the messages. “You’re a retard. You better realize what you just did. It’s scary that you would be that stupid
“I am a State Senator and I have a number of State Senators like Ray Lesniak and Dick Codey tied into me that will do whatever I want.”
From another message: “You better realize what you just did. It’s scary that you would be that stupid. You are STUPID. You better get that call back in before the end of this night for whatever value it is. You better try. If you even take it, you better try. It’s scary what you just did to yourself.”
Other excerpts include:
“You don’t seem to understand that everything is in my hands right now. Everything is in my hands. You don’t understand that because you’re a f—— retard.”
“Lydia, you’ve f—– up all over your life. This is the biggest f—-up you have made in your life.”
Coleman worked for the township for 10 years, beginning in 1995. She was a recreation supervisor, assistant pool manager and swim instructor, and “always received favorable ratings and promotions throughout her employ with North Bergen,” her complaint says.
However, from 2003-2006, it says, Sacco “inappropriately pursued Ms. Coleman and had Ms. Coleman escort him to various political functions and extracurricular social functions” and “flaunted” his position to “achieve his own malicious ends.”
Coleman claims she was “subjected to harassment and scrutiny” at work whenever she didn’t attend events involving Sacco.
In one instance, her complaint alleges, “Sacco grabbed Ms. Coleman by her hips and pulled her onto his lap.” In another, he “put his hand on her leg and move his hand up her pelvic region,” it says.
The last straw, the complaint alleges, came after a Feb. 13, 2003 party that Coleman attended with friends and colleagues at a Bergenline Avenue bar.
“As soon as Sacco arrived at the restaurant, [he] began to pursue Ms. Coleman aggressively,” it says.
Throughout the evening, Sacco “advised all parties that he would take Ms. Coleman home,” and “became visibly irritated by Ms. Coleman’s rejection and began to berate her in the bar.”
She later found “a series of voice messages” from Sacco “threatening harm to Ms. Coleman and utilizing his position as Mayor and Senator to further intimidate Ms. Coleman,” the complaint alleges.
“I think you better really call me back. You embarrassed me in front of a judge who’s my oldest, closest friend,” one message says. “You’re a retard and you’d better realize what you just did.
“You don’t seem to understand that everything is in my hands right now. Everything is in my hands. You don’t know what I’m capable of doing.”
That week at work, the complaint alleges, “Coleman’s job fuctions were limited and Ms. Coleman’s work environment became more hostile.”
Coleman quit in 2005 because “she could not continue dealing with the sexual, psychological and emotional abuse being inflicted on her daily,” the complaint says.
Click here to follow Daily Voice South Passaic and receive free news updates.
