Lawyer will drop charge if McGreevey pays ex-wife

TRENTON - A lawyer for Dina Matos says she will drop a charge that she was duped into marrying former New Jersey Gov. Jim E. McGreevey if he agrees to pay her $109,000 that a judge says he owes.

Lawyer John Post said the fraud claim his client filed would be dropped if McGreevey makes full payment and agrees not to appeal the judge's divorce ruling.

Matos has claimed that McGreevey, who resigned from office in 2004 after declaring himself "a gay American," duped her into marriage because he needed the cover of a heterosexual relationship to advance his political career

Union County Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy granted the McGreeveys' divorce last month, denying Matos alimony but ruling that she was entitled to a portion of their joint assets totaling $109,000.

Matos is interested in having the litigation come to an end, Post said.

- AP