The Linden Board of Education has accused former Assistant Superintendent Paul Oliveira and his lawyer of attempting to extort $950,000 from taxpayers, a move they claim is undermining efforts to diversify the school faculty.
The litigation ignited a scandal that could hamper Mayor Derek Armstead’s bid for Congress in a special election but the blackmail attempt led to calls for criminal probes into the threatening letter by Oliveira’s lawyer, Armen McOmber, who warned of initiating a media blitz and disclosing the details of the case in relation to the impending lawsuit.
School officials reported the alleged extortion to the Linden Police Department.
Armstead called on the Union County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the matter, saying the ransom note raised suspicions, coinciding with his candidacy in the special Democratic congressional primary.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Oliveira claims he was forced to take medical leave due to stress and anxiety stemming from a conspiracy to exclude Hasidic Jewish individuals from employment within the Linden school district. School officials said no Jews applies for jobs during the brief time Oliveira was employed there and there is no evidence that the district tolerated any form of discrimination.
Oliveira secured a lucrative five-year appointment as the chief administrator at the Academy For Urban Leadership in Perth Amboy, earning $190,000 annually plus bonuses. This appointment, coupled with a Meet and Greet hosted by the academy on April 29, 2024, contradicts Oliveira’s assertion that he was unable to work due to anxiety.
Central to Oliveira’s claims is a secretly recorded meeting between himself and the implicated officials. His attorney, McOmber, allegedly threatened a legal and public relations campaign if their $950,000 demand was not met. When the board refused to pay, Oliveira launched a media campaign on May 24, 2024, intensifying the dispute.
Oliveira’s accusations included directives to prioritize African American or Haitian applicants, purportedly excluding Hasidic Jewish candidates.
While apologizing for comments referencing Hasidic Jews, Armstead denied that he is antisemitic and called the allegation a distortion of his commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
Armstead has been advocating for a workforce that mirrors the diversity of the student body for over a decade. He pointed out in 2010 that while 83 percent of the student body was Black or Hispanic, 83 percent of the faculty and staff at the Linden Board of Education were White.
He said that 32.4% of Linden Public School students are Black, with many being Haitian Creole speakers. This aligns with a New Jersey Department of Education goal to ensure an ethnically diverse novice educator workforce by 2025.
As the controversy unfolds, Armstead remains focused on the interests of Linden’s students and taxpayers, resisting what he perceives as an extortion attempt at personal and political risk. The investigation continues, with the outcome poised to impact the community significantly.