MagazzuGate is no WeinerGate … but very close
Nude Photos of N.J. Politician Put Spotlight on Internet Privacy
Louis Magazzu Nude
One of Cumberland County’s most influential politicians, Louis N. Magazzu, is using an attorney to fight a political activist who is behind a website posting embarrassing photos and emails from a cyber-affair Magazzu admits to having while married.
Magazzu, also an attorney, acknowledges taking the nude pictures of himself with a cellphone. He told The Daily Journal he forwarded the photos, along with others in which he is fully clothed, to an unidentified woman. The explicit shots were sent at her request after he sent other pictures in which he is fully dressed, Magazzu said.
Magazzu said the two never met in person, and only shared the pictures and flirty exchanges by email. He is in the process of divorcing his wife, an action that started before Carl B. Johnson, a Center City resident obtained and published the photos on his website, magazzuwatch.com.
Meanwhile, the website still carries the images that touched off the dispute — nude photos of Magazzu it censored.
“The website isn’t about posting shots of Lou naked or anything,” Johnson said. “It is about exposing the underbelly of local politics. He was the figurehead, the person who ran the party and the freeholder board for a decade. Even though he has stepped down, I don’t believe he has stopped wielding influence.”
Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., a criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor hired by Magazzu, states “posting and disseminating” of the photos and messages should stop immediately. He warned Johnson he may face criminal charges and civil liability.
On Monday, Cipparone released a statement to The Daily Journal on behalf of Magazzu. It said the images were sent to another “consenting adult solely as private communications between them and not for further distribution.”
Unlike the scandal earlier this year in which New York congressman Anthony Weiner used Twitter to accidentally publish a photo of himself wearing underwear while aroused, Magazzu exchanged his images only privately.
Louis Magazzu Nude Sex Scandal
The Timeline
The festering situation hit a new level early in July:
• On July 4, Johnson posted a head and chest photo of a shirtless Magazzu.
• On July 6, Johnson sent The Daily Journal an email containing uncensored photographs and accompanying private email exchanges between Magazzu and the unidentified woman. Daily Journal editors decided not to write a story about the materials at that time, judging it a private matter between consenting adults that did not involve any evidence of illegality or improper use of government resources. Johnson criticized the newspaper’s decision on his website.
• The material subsequently was offered to other area newspapers and other media, none of which published a story about them.
• On July 7, Johnson posted a photo of Magazzu in which he is pantless and his genitals are exposed. An image is imposed over Magazzu’s genitals, however.
• On July 8, Johnson posted more censored nude photos, plus an Internet exchange between Magazzu and a woman.
Johnson also posted mocking and taunting messages.
commentary via email
Another politician has done it again. Except, well, has he? Nude photos of New Jersey local politician Louis Magazzu have appeared on the website of questionably named GOP activist Carl B. Johnson. Magazzu allegedly sent the photos to a woman with whom he was having an online relationship.
Before you file him away in a folder with former Rep. Anthony Weiner, Magazzu’s situation is different. Reportedly he’s been separated from his wife for two years; Weiner was married only a short time and his wife announced her pregnancy shortly after the scandal broke.
The bigger issue in this case is not that a grown man sent a grown woman a compromising picture. The question is how it arrived in the hands of the blogger and whether that blogger has the right to post it.
With the recent News of the World hacking scandal, electronic privacy demands attention. We do not know what measures the blogger may have undertaken to obtain the photo, but if it involved any hacking, those actions are firmly barred by U.S. law.
But if he didn’t use any hacking or wiretapping to get the photo, if someone sent it to him, does he have the right to post it?
Any person should have the power to prevent the distribution of nude photos unless they have previously signed a consent. The removal of such photos should be immediate and complete. There is no reason a person shouldn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy in regard to his or her own body, and no justification exists for Johnson to have posted such photos, particularly when how he obtained them is cloudy.
The problem of people being exploited in this way will only grow with technology. Earlier this year, a hacker in California obtained nude photos from women’s accounts and sent them to their contacts. In July, another hacker stole nude photos from women, many of whom he knew, and posted them on their Facebook walls.
As the story of ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews, who was secretly filmed by a peeping tom, illustrates, the violation never goes away in this Internet age. In fact, it was far easier to find search results purporting to offer the intrusive peephole video than references to the news story.
For Magazzu, an embarrassing battle has started at a point too late for him to undo the harm, as a picture once on the Internet is a picture forever on the Internet. The time has come for law to catch up with technology and prevent the problem from growing, with penalties harsh enough to cause a potential poster to reconsider putting them up in the first place.
More Louis Magazzu Nude Sex Scandal related stories: -
politics.gather.com
August 2nd, 2011 05:50 PM EDT
Gather Similar to disgraced ex-Congressman Andrew Weiner, this career politician has reacted to after his nude pictures were posted on the internet. However, this time it was not the national political scene. Louis N. Magazzu was a powerful South Jersey politician. He was serving as Cumberland County freeholder when his opponent, Carl B. Johnson, of Millville, put the pictures up on a website called magazzuwatch.com. However, he was once the chairman of the county Democratic Party. It is hard …
dailymail.co.uk
August 2nd, 2011 03:28 PM EDT
Last updated at 10:09 PM on 2nd August 2011 New Jersey Democrat Louis N. Magazzu may resign A politician who emailed a woman nude photos of himself that were posted on a GOP activist’s website has resigned and said he will consider all legal options to have the pictures taken down. New Jersey democrat Louis Magazzu, 53, admitted sending the photos to the woman he said he had been corresponding with online for several years. He claims she requested the pictures but was working with an’ avowed …
theage.com.au
August 2nd, 2011 05:03 PM EDT
In an emailed statement on Tuesday in the US, Cumberland County freeholder Louis Magazzu apologised to his friends, family and constituents but indicated that he thought he was being set up. The 53-year-old Democratic lawyer, who’d been an elected county official since 1997, said he sent the photos to a woman with whom he corresponded online for several years and that she requested the photos. At least two of the photos revealed his crotch, two photos showed him fully dressed in a suit and a …
cnews.canoe.ca
August 2nd, 2011 04:52 PM EDT
NEW YORK After an online sexting scandal brought down Congressman Anthony Weiner, the last thing a politician would even consider is sending a nude self-portrait over the Internet. Apparently not. Cumberland County freeholder Louis Magazzu, 53, stepped down on Tuesday after nude photos he sent to a woman with whom he had a long online relationship were posted on the website of conservative blogger Carl Johnson, said Magazzu’s lawyer Rocco Cipparone. “Unfortunately in my personal life, I did not …
realclearpolitics.com
August 2nd, 2011 01:56 PM EDT
Beth Defalco A Democratic politician who emailed a woman nude photos of himself that were later posted on a Republican activist’s website announced his resignation Tuesday and said he’ll consider all legal options to have the pictures taken down. In an emailed statement, Cumberland County legislator Louis Magazzu apologized to his friends, family and constituents but indicated that he thought he was being set up. The 53-year-old lawyer, who’d been an elected county official since 1997, said he …
writeonnewjersey.com
August 2nd, 2011 01:03 PM EDT
You would have thought that following Anthony Weiners resignation over the sexting scandal in which he inadvertently tweeted lewd pictures of himself on his Twitter account the age of stupidity among public figures would have ended. And, if you thought that, youd be wrong, dead wrong! Proving that there are no intelligence requirements to hold public office is New Jerseys own Louis Magazzu. Magazzu was, until very, very recently, a Cumberland County Freeholder and Chair of the Countys …
nypost.com
August 2nd, 2011 12:42 PM EDT
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.J. Photos of Cumberland County Freeholder Louis N. Magazzu, a Democrat, were posted on a self-described government watchdog website. They appeared to have been taken on a camera phone in front of a mirror, similar to the photos that led to Rep. Anthony Weiner’s recent downfall. In a resignation letter, Magazzu said, “Unfortunately in my personal life, I did not always demonstrate the wisdom and balance that I expected from myself, and that the people of Cumberland County …
philly.com
August 2nd, 2011 12:28 PM EDT
Posted on A powerful South Jersey Democrat, who allegedly took nude pictures of himself and emailed them to a Chicago woman he had never met, resigned today. The naked photos of Louis N. Magazzu, 53, a Cumberland County Freeholder, had been posted on a website created by an opponent. Carl B. Johnson, of Millville, put the pictures up on magazzuwatch.com last month. Shortly after, Magazzu was confronted by Freeholder Director, Bill Whelan, also a Democrat. “I asked Mr. Maggazu to step down three …
newyork.cbslocal.com
August 2nd, 2011 01:30 PM EDT
Cumberland County Freeholder Louis Magazzu Resigns After Nude Photos Surface Online Louis N. Magazzu( Credit: http://www.co.cumberland.nj.us) TRENTON, N.J.( CBSNewYork/AP) It seems like another local politician has been caught with his pants down. Just weeks after Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned after sending lewd photos of himself to women he met online, Cumberland County freeholder Louis Magazzu has called it quits after nude photos he sent of himself to a woman online …
nbcphiladelphia.com
August 2nd, 2011 11:59 AM EDT
Cumberland County Freeholder Louis N. Magazzu admits to taking nude photos of himself and sending them to a woman online advertisement Yes, another politician is naked on the Internet. Cumberland County Freeholder Louis N. Magazzu took nude photos of himself and sent them to a woman with whom he was flirting online. Now those naked photos are published for all to see on a self-proclaimed political watchdog site called magazzuwatch.com After demands from fellow legislators, Magazzu resigned from …
myfoxphilly.com
August 2nd, 2011 10:40 AM EDT
TRENTON, N.J. A New Jersey politician has resigned as a freeholder after sending a woman nude photos of himself that showed up on a GOP activist’s website. He also claims the woman was working with the activist. A lawyer for Cumberland County freeholder Louis Magazzu said Tuesday that the 53-year-old Democrat sent the photos to a woman with whom he had an online-only relationship. He says they weren’t intended for anyone else. Hours later, Magazzu issued a resignation statement, and said he was …
magazzuwatch.wordpress.com
August 2nd, 2011 10:58 AM EDT
This might be my last post on MagazzuWatch. Now I can focus on the conduct of Bob Austino. RESIGNATION STATEMENT OF LOUIS N. MAGAZZUAugust 2, 2011 The greatest professional privilege of my life has been to serve as a Cumberland County Freeholder since my election in 1997. Since my election, I have worked to improve the quality of life for all families of Cumberland County. I am proud of the accomplishments that have come from the collective work of the Freeholders with whom I have been honored …
lonelyconservative.com
August 2nd, 2011 03:18 PM EDT
Anthony Weiner’s fall from grace may have removed him from the ruling class, but his wife is still there, so he’s still able to fly first class to Orlando, Florida. According to the New York Post he may have gone there for some therapy, you know, to convince Hillary Clinton that he’s been cured. The horndog ex-House member from Queens is telling friends that while he’s finally started therapy for his sex addiction, the really hard part of his “recovery” will be getting his wife’s boss to …
newfieworld.net
August 2nd, 2011 03:20 PM EDT
New Jersey democrat Louis Magazzu, 53, admitted sending the photos to the woman he said he had been corresponding with online for several years. He claims she requested the pictures but was working with an avowed political enemy at the time and that he did not know. In an email statement, the Cumberland County freeholder apologised to family, friends and constituents but indicated that he thought he was being set up. He said hes been separated from his wife for about two years. The pictures …
nbc40.net
August 2nd, 2011 12:39 PM EDT
CO. POLITICIAN RESIGNS AFTER NUDE PHOTOS ON INTERNET SURFACE NBC40.net The 53-year-old Democrat says he sent the photos to a woman with whom he corresponded online for several years. He says she requested the photos and that he didn’t know she was “working with an avowed political enemy.” The pictures appear to show Magazzu standing naked in front of a mirror photographing himself. Magazzu says he’s been separated from his wife for about two years. He’s been an elected county official since …
residentnutter.blogspot.com
August 2nd, 2011 04:10 PM EDT
A flasher Democratic politician and Obama worshipper who emailed or Erm targeted Woman Children nude photos of himself that were later posted on a GOP activist’s who has a beware of porno-Trolls awareness site…. has announced his formal quick resignation Tuesday~ and said he’ll consider all legal options to have the lewed nude pictures taken down that were shown on the beware of Porno trolls site that were censored as to not show his private parts but did show it was him the Senator who had …
magazzuwatch.wordpress.com
August 2nd, 2011 07:11 AM EDT
I just think Lous behavior is awful, Whelan said on Tuesday. We need to address it. None of us can resign for him. I hope he makes the right decision. If this story had not made the media, Whelan would still be sitting with his thumbs up his anus, refusing to take proper action. Furthermore: Whelan said he would assign Freeholders James A. Dunkins, a Democrat, and Thomas Sheppard, a Republican, to review the situation. The Freeholders will also appoint three people to revive the countys …
magazzuwatch.wordpress.com
August 2nd, 2011 05:43 AM EDT
Center City resident Carl B. Johnson has posted pleas on his website, magazzuwatch.com, for donations to a legal fund. Meanwhile, the website still carries the images that touched off the dispute nude photos of Magazzu it censored. On Monday, Johnson said hes put that fundraising on hold after an encouraging meeting with an attorney, whom he did not identify. Its strictly a First Amendment issue, Johnson said. The attorney, he said, basically said, Talk to the press keep doing what youre …
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