Valentin confirmed as Monmouth prosecutor
Manalapan man first Hispanic in N.J. to be a county prosecutor

JORGE ROD State Sen. Ellen Karcher (D-Monmouth) congratulates Luis A. Valentin after he was confirmed by the state Senate to become the new Monmouth County prosecutor.

BY TALI ISRAELI

Staff Writer

Luis A. Valentin was appointed to the position of Monmouth County prosecutor after a unanimous vote by the state Senate on June 30 confirmed his appointment.

Valentin, 39, of Manalapan, was nominated by acting Gov. Richard J. Codey on June 20 to succeed John Kaye as Monmouth County’s prosecutor. Valentin, whose family is originally from Puerto Rico, will become New Jersey’s first Hispanic county prosecutor.

Kaye, who has been the county’s prosecutor for more than two decades, resigned from his position on June 24, a few days before his term was scheduled to end. First Assistant Prosecutor Robert A. Honecker Jr. was named acting prosecutor.

State Sen. Ellen Karcher said although a date for Valentin’s swearing-in has not been set yet, she cannot imagine it would be more than a few weeks until he is installed.

Karcher said the swearing in process is based on Valentin’s completion of his obligations to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to allow for a smooth transition with Honecker.

Karcher said Valentin is “anxious to hit the ground running” as prosecutor.

Valentin served in the Special Prosecutions Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, helping to fight corruption throughout New Jersey. He was later appointed by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to serve as chief of the Violent Crimes Unit.

Christie said that as the chief of the Violent Crimes Unit, Valentin has led the federal effort to fight gang violence and gun violence.

Karcher said she believes Valentin’s experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuting federal crimes involving public corruption will serve the county well.

Karcher, who worked with Codey in the search for Kaye’s replacement, said she is thrilled that Valentin was appointed.

“I think he really reflects what we need in Monmouth County,” the senator said.

The Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey (HDANJ) praised the appointment of Valentin and expressed a desire to work with him to foster outreach programs to the community.

“Gov. Codey deserves credit for seeing the wisdom of appointing a Latino to this very important post,” HDANJ Chairwoman Elsa Candelario said. “The Latino population of New Jersey and Monmouth County is growing rapidly, and we need more law enforcement and government officials with knowledge of the community.”

Fatima Potente, executive director of the Hispanic Affairs Resource Center of Monmouth County, called Valentin’s nomination a “breakthrough for the Latino community.”

“You could not have a better role model for our community than the top law enforcement official in the county,” she added.