"New Jersey troopers fired over 100-mph escort" Associated Press, March 12, 2013
TRENTON, N.J. — Two state troopers lost their jobs Monday for escorting a caravan of sports cars that traveled the Garden State Parkway last year at 100 miles per hour.
Nadir Nassry and Joseph Ventrella also appeared in court in New Brunswick to face charges that they tampered with records — specifically that they used electrical tape to alter their license plate numbers to cover up their involvement.
Nassry, a sergeant first-class who had been a trooper for 26 years, pleaded guilty to a charge of falsifying or tampering with records. The 47-year-old could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison, but prosecutors agreed to recommend probation. In a statement through his lawyer, Nassry apologized to drivers who were endangered, the State Police and Ventrella, calling the incident a ‘‘one-time act of stupidity.’’
Ventrella, a 29-year-old with seven years on the force, pleaded not guilty to the same charge. Prosecutors recommend he be allowed into a pretrial intervention program. If a judge agrees and he completes the requirements, he would end up without a criminal record. His lawyer, Vincent Nuzzi, said he did not admit to committing any crimes.
As part of their agreements with the state, both men agreed that they would never work again in law enforcement in New Jersey.
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