Jerome (Jerry) A. Ballarotto is Of Counsel to Stark & Stark working with the firm’s Criminal & Municipal Defense practice and Corporate Investigations & White Collar practice groups where he focuses on high-stakes criminal defense and significant white collar and corporate investigations. Mr. Ballarotto has practiced in state and federal courts throughout the United States, defending corporate and individual clients – including political figures, government officials, and law enforcement officers – in criminal prosecutions, grand jury investigations and proceedings, civil administrative actions, and governmental or regulatory investigations.
A former Criminal Division Chief with the United States Attorney’s Office, Special Agent of the United States Secret Service, and a Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Ballarotto has over 30 years of experience supervising regulatory, administrative, and corporate internal investigations and significant criminal proceedings. The following are a few of the legal situations that he has handled throughout the course of his career:
- High-stakes criminal actions taken against a child or other loved one
- Criminal investigations of suspicious corporate bookkeeping activity
- Criminal prosecution of intellectual property or trade secret infringements
- Counsel and advisement when regulatory or federal/state law enforcement agencies show up with subpoenas and/or search warrants
- Employee complaints regarding racial, ethnic, or other bias or harassment
Mr. Ballarotto is also an accomplished author, having penned the novel Worthy of Trust and Confidence, which was chosen as a CBS New York “Best of Summer Read” in 2013.
Representative Experience
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances*
- Successfully defended a convicted felon, who had served 12 years of a 40 year sentence, in a Federal Court Habeas Corpus 2255 motion in which the defendant alleged ineffective representation of counsel based on a failure to advise defendant of a plea deal that had been offered during the original trial. The federal judge overturned the original sentence and ordered the U.S. Attorney to offer the plea deal again. This matter is currently pending appeal with the Third Circuit.
- Successfully defended an American businessman accused by the Department of Justice in a scheme to dupe several million dollars from the Iraqi Provisional Authority for reconstruction costs. Client was later acquitted of all counts.
- Successfully negotiated a plea deal for a former municipal court judge accused of extorting former clients. Under the deal, the former judge received no jail time, instead sentenced to one year of house arrest and five years of community service.
- Successfully obtained a Not Guilty verdict from a federal jury for a New Jersey Army National Guard soldier accused of sexual assault.
- Counseled a former municipal police chief during negotiations for his voluntary resignation after a scandal alleging sexual battery and harassment. Terms included compensation for accrued annual and sick leave as well as refund of contributions paid into a retirement plan.
