Fusco, Joseph A.

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Joseph Fusco joined Cooper Levenson in 2010 and serves as “Of Counsel” to its Casino Law Practice Group. An experienced and accomplished regulatory, investigative, appellate and government relations attorney, Mr. Fusco specializes in casino, regulatory and commercial matters.

Practice Highlights

Trump Entertainment Resorts: Mr. Fusco served for twenty-three years as regulatory counsel to Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc., including eight as outside counsel and fifteen as its Executive Vice-President, Government Affairs. His responsibilities included licensing, investigation, legislation and development matters for this owner-operator of three Atlantic City casino resorts and providing counsel for Casino Association of New Jersey matters, the industry trade group.

Wilson Fusco & Scerni: Mr. Fusco also was an equity partner in an Atlantic City law firm specializing in casino, regulatory, commercial and administrative law matters.

Atlantic County Prosecutor: Mr. Fusco was appointed by former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne (D) to the position of Atlantic County Prosecutor, the chief law enforcement officer for Atlantic County and its approximately 900 law enforcement officers. As Prosecutor, he restructured the 113 member staff to include 26 Assistant Prosecutors and implemented a computerized tracking system to manage its rapidly growing annual workload of 5,000 cases. He had previously served (1970-1977) as an Assistant Prosecutor to Essex County Prosecutor Joseph Lordi in New Jersey’s largest Prosecutor’s Office. His first two years there focused on appellate litigation including briefing and arguing four appeals to the New Jersey Supreme Court and more than fifty in the Appellate Division. During the next five years, he supervised approximately 650 criminal investigations as Attorney-in-Charge of its Fraud and Special Investigations Section and sixteen member staff.

New Jersey Casino Control Commission: Mr. Fusco was hired by the Commission and Chairman Lordi as one of the newly created Commission’s first two employees in the position of Special Counsel-Director of its License Division. This was a start-up experience. The first casino opened to the public in May 1978. By the time he left to become the Atlantic County Prosecutor, Mr. Fusco and his 98 member staff had assisted the Commission in licensing six casinos, 36,000 casino employees and 250 service industry vendors and establishing the regulatory procedures to do so.

Community

Member, Board of Directors, New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (2002-2004): Appointed by New Jersey Governor Donald DiFrancesco (R) and served a two year term as one of two casino industry representatives to the Board. The Authority provides capital investment funds for economic development and job creation in Atlantic City.

Member, Board of Directors, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Foundation (1981- present): The Foundation raises, stewards and distributes funds in support of the College and its students.

Member, Board of Trustees, Historic Organ Restoration Committee, Inc. (2007- present): This not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) entity was organized to fund and facilitate a restoration of the two pipe organs in historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The organ in the main hall, first played in 1932, is the largest pipe organ ever built. Both the organs and Boardwalk Hall itself have National Landmark status.

Education

• Law Clerk, Francis Hayden, NJ Superior Court (Essex Co., Criminal Div.)
• Admitted to New Jersey Bar
• Fordham University, School of Law, J.D.
• Villanova University, School of Business, B.S. Economics (Industrial Admin.)
• Seton Hall Preparatory School