Readington-gate: NJ politicians charged with secretly recording rivals at restaurant

🔲 GOP duo lost June primary

🔲 Spouse of one allegedly planted device to spy on rivals

🔲 Failed candidate uploaded recorded files, police say

READINGTON — Two politicians have been accused of illegally recording conversations of two elected officials just a month after a tense Republican primary election.

Jacqueline Hindle lost in June's GOP primary for Township Committee. She had run alongside Ben Smith, former mayor and spouse of Christina Albrecht.

Hindle and Smith lost by a roughly 500 vote margin in the primary to incumbents Mueller and Juergen Huelsebusch, who were endorsed by the municipal GOP organization.

Now, 45-year-old Albrecht and 49-year-old Hindle have been charged with an alleged scheme to record private conversations at a local restaurant between Mayor Adam Mueller and Deputy Mayor Vincent Panico, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson said.

Both women were accused of violating the New Jersey Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act. They were charged with third-degree counts of disclosure of an oral communication, use of an oral communication and conspiracy to commit interception of an oral communication.

Albrecht was also charged with burglary, possession of an intercepting device and interception of an oral communication.

On July 8, Readington Township police were called about an audio recording device found on the metal fence surrounding the patio at The Rail in Whitehouse Station.

Officers found that Albrecht had mounted the device on the fence days earlier on July 1, before it recorded a private chat between Mueller and Panico. Albrecht later retrieved the device from The Rail, Robeson said.

She transcribed and shared the recording with Hindle, who uploaded the files onto a shared drive and discussed them with Albrecht, the prosecutor said.

On July 8, Albrecht had returned to The Rail, when it was not open for business, and again mounted the device on the fence.

After the device was turned over to the police, Albrecht and Hindle plotted to buy a backup to continue secret recordings, police said.

Albrecht and Hindle were set for their first court appearances on Oct. 30.

Following the charges, the GOP municipal chairman called for Hindle’s resignation as a Readington Township Republican Party county committeewoman.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Andrew Saad said the allegations called into question Hindle’s judgment and decision-making abilities.

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