January 25, 2010
Office of The Attorney General
– Paula T. Dow, Acting Attorney General
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
Acting Attorney General Dow Swears in Stephen J. Taylor as Director of the Division of Criminal Justice
TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Paula T. Dow swore in Stephen J. Taylor as Director of the Division of Criminal Justice late Friday at the Hughes Justice Complex.
Taylor, 49, was most recently a partner in the law firm of Taylor, Colicchio & Silverman, LLP, in Princeton. He previously served 20 years as a prosecutor, first in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, then in the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Gov. Chris Christie announced Taylor’s appointment as Director of the Division of Criminal Justice on Jan. 8.
“In his 20 years as a prosecutor, Stephen Taylor has supervised complex investigations and handled major prosecutions, including cases involving narcotics, organized crime, counterfeiting, espionage and terrorism,” said Acting Attorney General Dow. “I served with him in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where I developed a great respect for his intellect, judgment and leadership. Those attributes combined with his broad-based experience as a prosecutor make him an exceptional choice to lead the Division of Criminal Justice.”
“I am honored to have been selected by Governor Christie to serve with General Dow in this important position,” said Taylor. “My goal in leading the Division of Criminal Justice will be to effectively utilize our excellent staff and our ability to partner with law enforcement agencies across all levels of government to achieve the maximum impact in reducing crime and protecting the people of New Jersey.”
Taylor served in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for 12 years beginning in 1986. He was assigned to the Homicide Investigations Unit in 1990, and from March 1995 through April 1998, served as the Director of the Homicide Unit, supervising approximately 20 investigators and three assistant prosecutors.
In 1998, Taylor joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, where he prosecuted a variety of cases, including Social Security fraud cases, complex narcotic conspiracy cases involving electronic surveillance, and racketeering cases. He was later assigned to the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, where he oversaw investigations and prosecutions of traditional and non-traditional organized crime.
Among the notable cases he supervised was a six-year undercover FBI investigation dubbed “Royal Charm” that initially targeted counterfeit cigarettes being smuggled into the U.S. from China. The investigation ultimately uncovered the illegal importation of about $5 million in high-quality counterfeit U.S. currency called “supernotes,” the first time supernotes manufactured abroad appeared in the United States. Fifty-seven individuals were prosecuted.
In 2002, Taylor was appointed Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in the U.S Attorney’s Office, where he supervised 10 attorneys responsible for prosecuting upper-echelon drug and money laundering organizations. From April 2005 through July 2006, Taylor was Chief of the Terrorism Unit and supervised the investigation and prosecution of national security related offenses, including terrorism related cases, espionage cases and violations of the arms export control laws.
Taylor was born in Yonkers, N.Y., and raised in Edison, N.J. He obtained his undergraduate degree in 1982 from the University of Delaware, and his law degree in 1985 from Villanova University School of Law. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Leonard D. Ronco, New Jersey Superior Court Judge in Essex County.
Taylor lives in Somerset County with his wife and two children.
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