Division of Gaming Enforcement
David Samson, Attorney General
Thomas Auriemma, Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 7, 2003

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kerry Hand, (609) 441-2533, Pager (609) 231-9692

Division of Gaming Enforcement Announces Deputy Director Positions

TRENTON - Division of Gaming Enforcement Director Thomas N. Auriemma, today announced the selection of Camden County lawyer Michael E. Joyce and Assistant Attorney General Mitchell A. Schwefel as DGE Deputy Directors.

Michael E. Joyce, 44, a Pennsauken resident, is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Sierra Leone, West Africa and graduated from the University of Southern Maine and Widener University School of Law. While attending law school, Joyce was employed as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor, handling complex civil and criminal investigations related to pension and benefit cases.

Joyce has been in private law practice since 1991. While in private practice, he has served as Municipal Prosecutor for five towns in Camden County and has handled a number of appeals to the New Jersey Law Division, Appellate division, and Supreme Court.

Mr. Joyce has been sworn in as both an Assistant Attorney General and DGE Deputy Director. He will be based at the Division’s Trenton office.

Mitchell A. Schwefel, 55, a Toms River resident and graduate of State University of New York and Seton Hall University School of Law, has worked for the N.J. Department of Law and Public Safety for the past 25 years. He served as one of the first Deputy Attorney Generals for DGE in 1977 and later transferred to the Division of Criminal Justice for several years before returning to DGE in 1981.

Mr. Schwefel has prosecuted several high profile cases before the Casino Control Commission over the years including the 1982 licensing revocation hearing for Local 54 president Frank Gerace, who was denied licensure for organized crime connections. He also worked closely with now Director Auriemma on the Golden Nugget Licensing renewal case in 1986.

Prior to being named Deputy Director, Schwefel served as the supervising attorney of legal operations for DGE’s Atlantic city office since 1994. He will remain based in DGE’s Atlantic City offices.

Director Auriemma, who served as DGE’s Deputy Director for many years, notes: “I am very pleased to have such talented individuals serving as Deputy Directors. Mitch Schwefel is a long time colleague who brings a wealth of experience to the position. Mr. Joyce is an excellent attorney who will bring a fresh perspective to the agency. I look forward to working with them both.”

The Division of Gaming Enforcement was established in 1977 under the Casino Control Act to ensure the integrity of the casino industry in New Jersey. Its mission is to protect the public interest by
maintaining a legitimate and viable industry, free from the influences of organized crime, and ensuring the honesty, integrity, and good character of casino owners, operators, employees, and vendors. The Division performs its mission through enforcement of the Casino Control Act and related regulations, which were designed to ensure a strictly regulated and economically sound casino gaming industry. Oversight by the Division includes investigations, inspections and audits, as well as criminal and regulatory prosecutions.

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