Gov. Phil Murphy has nominated a lawyer with the U.S. Attorney’s office to serve as Gloucester County’s next prosecutor.
If confirmed, Pitman resident Andrew Johns would be the first permanent prosecutor in that role in five years.
Murphy’s choice to fill the post has been referred to the state Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. The committee is scheduled to next meet on May 29.
If approved, the nomination will go to the full Senate for a vote. County prosecutors serve five-year terms.
Johns declined to comment on the nomination.
A spokesman for the governor’s office would not comment on a pending appointment.
The last permanent prosecutor in the top role for Gloucester County was Charles Fiore, who abruptly resigned in 2020 after less than three years in the job.
His departure coincided with some staff members claiming a hostile work environment and discrimination by Fiore and other top officials.
Days after he left, a prosecutor’s office detective filed a lawsuit alleging Fiore made several crude comments to her and tried to pressure her into denying his conduct was inappropriate.
That suit was settled the following year, when the employee was paid $165,000 to resolve the case. Other suits followed.
Fiore previously declined to comment on the allegations. He said he left the prosecutor’s post for family reasons and to pursue work in the private sector.
Since then, the post has been filled by acting prosecutors.
Christine A. Hoffman served in the role until her retirement last year.
Assistant state Attorney General Elizabeth Vogelsong-Parvin was named to the post in an acting capacity as Hoffman’s successor.
Johns, who graduated from Rutgers Law School in 2005, has served in various posts throughout his career, according to his LinkedIn page.
Before his current role as an assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Johns was with the state Attorney General’s Office for more than eight years.
Prior to that, he served as an assistant prosecutor with the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Stories by Matt Gray
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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.