Crime & Safety
Witness: Bergrin Said She 'Had to Lie' in Court
Trial of celebrity attorney continues Monday
A woman testified in federal court Monday that attorney Paul Bergrin coached her to lie in order to help her father, a Bergrin client, beat attempted murder and other charges more than a decade ago, North Jersey.com reported. Bergrin's trial began last week.
Carolyn Velez, formerly of Belleville, was nine years old in November 2001 when her father, Norberto, attacked her mother Marilu Bruno with a knife outside a township school.
Velez testified that Bergrin, 57, a Nutley resident who had a practice in Newark, said she “had to lie” in order to save her father, suggesting that Velez tell authorities see had actually seen her mother grab a knife at her father’s house.
Bergrin, a defense attorney who is representing himself, faces 26 counts including drug trafficking, promoting prostitution and arranging the 2004 murder of a witness who was set to testify against a client of Bergrin’s.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.