Defense Attorney Alleges Bias by Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office After Alleged Plot to Shoot Assistant Prosecutor is Discovered
By Travis Tormey posted in Assault and Threat Crimes on Friday, March 8, 2013
A New Brunswick man who is charged with several arson related offenses in Bergen County wants the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office removed from the case because they are biased against him, according to a motion filed by his defense attorney. Aakash Dalal, the 20-year-old defendant, alleges that the prosecutor’s office has “too much of a personal interest in the case” after an alleged plot to kill the assistant prosecutor handling the case, Martin Delaney, was discovered in the defendant’s cell. The defendant’s bail was subsequently raised from $1 million to $4 million.
The prosecutor’s office denies the allegations in the motion as Mr. Delaney has already been removed from the case and is no longer the prosecutor responsible for handling the arson charges. According to the NJ.com article, “[w]hile in jail, Dalal allegedly planned to obtain a handgun to kill Delaney, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. A search of Dalal’s cell and personal property at the jail revealed his plans to kill Delaney, Molinelli said.”
This is a very interesting argument made by the defendant’s attorney, Brian Neary. We’ll see if the judge agrees with his argument. If so, the case would most likely be transferred to a neighboring county to be handled by a different prosecutor’s office.