Gary Vitta Letter Twenty One

Dr. Vitta's Legacy

Professional Educator. Master School Administrator. College Professor. Dedicated Husband, Father, Grandfather, And Loyal Friend To Many

Bump on My Road of Professional Success

“Those Without Sin Cast The First Stone”

Fact: I was charged with Obstruction of Justice/ Witness Tampering

Fact: This happened years after my retirement

Fact: I pled guilty to this offense. There was no arrest or indictment.

Fact: I mistakenly told someone not to tell the truth about a gift(s) given to my daughter at her graduation party at the Madison Hotel in 2007. It should be noted that I had given the gifts back shortly after the gathering in 2007. However, the mistake, error in judgment or offense as it’s called happened in 2013/14. It truly was a mind boggling stupid act on my part. I am not including all the details of this here but the charge was as stated above

Fact: Federal Judge Chesler said if he thought I took a bribe he would be sending me to jail; however what happened here is very unclear and it represented mind-boggling stupidity. There was no restitution of the gifts at all as there was no bribery or corruption.

Fact: I was sentenced to three years of probation with the first year being home confinement. I was also fined $10,000

Fact: I never was charged with bribery or corruption and I never did anything against the law in the past. The word corruption or crooked was never used by anyone other than an article written by a radio station and perhaps some other media outlet. I assume that those words were used to inflame what occurred and to defame my good name

Fact: I am also a very trusting, amiable human being and let many people into my life. I have been told by many this is part of my personality and that I should be far more careful as to whom I call a friend.

Fact: I had over 135 strong letters of support from individuals in all professions including a former Chief of Police, a former Secret Service Agent, Police Officers, Doctors, Detectives, Lawyers, Board of Education Members, Professional Colleagues, Family, Friends, former students and neighbors

Fact: I take full responsibility for my stupidity and for the offense as well as the pain and suffering I caused myself, my family and friends

Fact: About a year after adjudication of the offense, the State of New Jersey filed a civil lawsuit against me claiming that the offense would precipitate a forfeiture of my earned pension and medical benefits and that I should be barred from public employment

Fact: This lawsuit went on for months and a vigorous battle was fought by my attorney and the attorneys for the State of New Jersey

Fact: Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled and a final judgment was declared with prejudice meaning that this case can never be brought forth again. She ruled that the State of New Jersey failed to prove that what happened touched upon my role as Superintendent and that my pension must be restored immediately and retroactively. She also ruled that I could work in public employment.

Fact: The State of New Jersey filed a motion appealing her decision to the New Jersey Appellate Court. The State of New Jersey then dropped their appeal on August 3, 2016 indicating that upon further review of the record and issues in this case that it was decided that the State should withdraw its Notice of Appeal

Fact: The New Jersey Bureau of Pensions refused to abide by Judge Mary Jacobson’s decision and my attorney had to fight vigorously with the pension bureau

Fact: The Judge had to once again be asked to reissue her order and after more legal briefs and battles my pension was finally restored in late August 2016

Fact: Steve Edelstein, my attorney, is in my humble opinion, the absolute best expert in the field of school law and pensions. The legal briefs and oral arguments were outstanding and truthful. He and his team carefully examined all the issues and provided concrete examples as to why the State was so off base in even bringing forth such a lawsuit.

Fact: This entire ordeal took years off my life and caused so much suffering not only to me but to my wife, children and all my family and friends. I take full responsibility for my stupid ridiculous action.

Fact: There are definitely media outlets that choose words that are inflammatory such as crooked Superintendent and Corrupt etc. These are defamatory remarks that incite the public with information that is totally erroneous.

Fact: In addition, the New Jersey Board of Examiners also did not abide by the Judge’s decision regarding working in public employment and decided to try to revoke my certification. After another legal battle I agreed to settle for a 3 year suspension of my School Administrator’s Certificate.

Fact: I presented above the facts and only the facts. There can be no dispute over what is written here.

Fact: As I said above I was wrong and this was a major blip in my successful career. It will be a stigma I must learn to live with all my life.

It is my hope that others can learn from my mistake

It is also my hope that I can move forward despite fake news and the damage I did to my reputation

It is my hope that whoever lays eyes on this website reads the various pages in total

I plan to post about 25 of the 135 letters of support I received during this life altering crisis

It has been a rough road but with God, Family and Friends I survived

I plan to move forward with integrity and dignity

2017

Honorable Stanley R. Chesler, U.S.D.J.

United States District Court

Frank R. Lautenberg U.S. Post Office & Courthouse

2 Federal Square

Newark, New Jersey 07102

United States v. Gary Vitta

Crim. No. 15-01

Dear Judge Chesler,

I am writing this letter in support of my friend and next door neighbor Dr. Gary Vitta. I am hoping that my letter will help you understand what a wonderful person Gary is, and that if any person was deserving of leniency from the court, it would be Dr. Vitta. Since Gary has had these charges to contend with, all has not been right in our wonderful neighborhood. Mostly that is because Gary is not only the glue that binds many of us in the neighbor together, but his love of life and friends helps create a great community.

It is best for me to explain this through some of my interactions with Gary over the last 9 years. Many people know of the public figure, Dr. Vitta, who has given part of his salary up to help fund school programs. But few know the small things Gary does on a regular basis. Gary was one of the first neighbors to welcome us to the community. He came to my house to welcome us with a bottle of wine. Despite several years difference between Gary and myself in age, he invited me to meet the other guys in the neighborhood at his house for cards. And ever since, he has been involving my family in holiday parties and even his daughter’s wedding.

My eldest child is a 9 year old boy, with ADHD. He always greets Gary in the back yard. Gary always takes the time to talk with him and make him feel special. Recently, we were faced with the hard decision to place our son on medications for his ADHD. His teachers felt that my son was bright but not living up to his potential. Gary caught wind of the situation, and reached out to myself and my wife. Gary, as a retired educator, offered to talk to us and give us advice. He evaluated our son for us, and then, guided us forward. He did this out of friendship and concern for a child. Not until now has he been credited with helping us, it was just one of those things Gary does for those around him.

Gary loves the holidays and being with his family and friends to celebrate. He always had a Christmas party at his house, lights go up and friends come over. He sends emails out reminding us to save the date, 1 year, 6 months and more frequently as the day approaches. Unfortunately, this party was canceled this past year. My wife and I, the Jewish neighbors were always there and warmly welcomed, along with the other guests from all parts of Gary’s life. Gary would always include us and always, make sure to wish us Happy Holidays on our Holidays too. Another selfless, act by Gary, involves of all things, a tree. One of the items Gary always loved was this giant blue spruce tree, along the driveway leading up to his house. It was a beautiful tree, and Gary would call it his Christmas tree. He was fond of it. Unfortunately, it blocked the magnificent view from my dining room out to the valley in the distance. I once jokingly asked Gary if he would mind if I cut it down, to enhance my view. He was not happy with cutting down such a beautiful tree, especially his Christmas tree, but he said, “if you really wish to cut it down, please go ahead.” This is a truly giving man, who was willing to let me cut down, his favorite tree, so I could have a better view that he would not get to enjoy.

I could go on and on about small and larger things this wonderful man has done, for myself, my family, and our neighborhood. Our neighborhood has not been the same since Gary has been under this cloud. He has truly done a lot for many people and brought education and joy to those he has touched. I wish, I could do more to help him in his time of need, more than writing this letter. Gary has certainly paid it forward for his whole life. And for it he, has made his corner of the world a better place. I hope this one time he can have the favor returned to him, and maybe the court can show leniency upon Gary and lift this cloud. It would not only be a favor to Gary and his wonderful family, but you would be doing a favor to our whole community and returning it to the way it was before this cloud descended upon all of us.

Thank you for your consideration

Respectfully,

Michael Gutkin, M.D.