I went to Mr. Rotella's office in Newark, NJ sometime in April 2016. I went to see him because I was approached by a state investigator informing me that I was be investigated. The information was also in the local newspaper. I bought a copy of the paper with me and I showed Mr. Rotella the paper and asked him was this a case that he would be able to take on. I asked that question because the case was being prosecuted by the state of New Jersey. He told me that he would be able to work the case.
So the state charge me, and I hired Mr. Rotella, hoping that he would do his best. I paid him his fee, And he started talking to the state. Well, that is all he did, every proposal, or suggestion that he made to the state on my behaht was turned down by the state. Mr. Rotella did not come up with suggestion on his own, He would ask me what did I want to do, and he would speak to the state and they would turn him down and he then would ask me what did I want to do next. I would keep making suggestions and they just kept saying no. Mr. Rotella never came up with a plan, or any kind of strategy to help me in winning my case. It seemed that he wasn't trying to win my case, but he was just trying to make a deal to minimize my time behind bars. So I got to a point that I realized that he was pushing me to take a plea deal rather than try and fight the case, even though I told him repeatedly that there were some items in the case against me that were wrong. Once he persuaded me to take the plea I told him that I would plea if I could meet with the state prior to sentencing. The state allowed me to meet with them. During the entire time I told Mr. Rotella that the numbers were wrong, but he seemed not to be interested in that part of the case (even though that part of the case would determine the weight of the crime). So the state agreed to see me and I informed Mr. Rotella that I could prove that the numbers were wrong. Mr. Rotella informed me if that was the case then we could go to Restitution Court. Not only was I able to prove that the amount was wrong, I was also able to prove that they could not prove what the amount was. Well, I left the meeting thinking that we had them right were we wanted them and that Mr. Rotella would be able to get my charges reduced. Well to my surprise Mr. Rotella called me later in the day to inform me that I was right, but they were able to prove that there new numbers were correct without showing him or me any documentation showing the numbers. And to my knowledge Mr. Rotella never requested any proof of there numbers. You see by proving that the numbers were wrong, they needs to down grade the charge from 2nd degree to 3rd degree. Which means that I should not had to spent any time in jail.
If you want a Lawyer that will get your jail time reduced, Mr. Rotella is great. But based on my experience, if you need a GOOD Lawyer with a large staff and someone who does their research so that you have a good chance of winning your case, then Mr. Rotella may not be the person for you. The state out maneuver him on every turn. The incident took place in Essex County but the state moved the trial to Union County, knowing that he did not have any connections in Union. When we got to the courthouse he was spending more time sucking up to the judge and the prosecutor rather then giving me information. So if you decide to hire Mr. Rotella cross your fingers and cross your toes, and hope for the best.
Good Luck read more