Rumson Man Who Gave Concert Wanted Guests To Stay Home: Lawyer

RUMSON, NJ — The Rumson man who was infamously charged by local police with violating the state's emergency orders against social gatherings would like to tell his side of the story as to what happened this past Saturday night.

Although John Maldjian, 54, of Rumson, has only been charged with disorderly persons offenses, he retained well-known criminal defense lawyer Mitchell Ansell, of Ansell, Grimm and Aaron. That Ocean Twp. law firm normally represents New Jersey residents charged with some of the most heinous crimes; past clients include alleged Colts Neck killer Paul Caneiro, accused of murdering his brother, that man's wife and their two small children. (Ansell, Grimm and Aaron eventually had to step down as Caneiro's lawyers due to a conflict of interest.)

On Tuesday, Ansell released a statement on behalf of Maldjian, saying the Rumson man wants to "set the record straight."

"There was no 'corona party' held at Maldjian's home this past Saturday evening. Unfortunately, as often times with social media, this story has taken on a life of its own," said the statement.

"John’s intention last Saturday was to perform a Facebook Live concert for his friends online. As a matter of fact, the name of this performance on Facebook was 'Stay At Home.' John decided at the last minute to conduct this performance on his front porch. He never intended, nor invited, a crowd of people to come watch him play in person," said Ansell.

At the onset of this performance, a couple of his neighbors came over to watch, practicing social distancing. As the night went on, and it became dark, my client was unable to see the extent of people that had gathered to watch, said Ansell.

Once the police arrived, John ended the performance and went inside. To be clear, there was never a “band” or even two guitarists playing, it was just John and his guitar, said his lawyer.

Most importantly, John has absolutely no knowledge of the horrible and vulgar things that people allegedly said to the police. He is disgusted that anyone would address the police in such a fashion, said his lawyer.

One guest who was there that night allegedly cursed at the police and shouted "Welcome to Nazi Germany," said police.

"John hopes that whomever said these terrible statements is apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said his lawyer.

"John Maldjian is an upstanding, law abiding citizen, who even dedicated his Facebook Live performance to our local healthcare workers. His only intention was to entertain his friends online via Facebook Live," said Ansell. "He had absolutely no malicious intentions on Saturday night, and never wanted this to escalate like it has. My client did make the mistake of conducting this virtual concert on his front porch. This is a mistake that John will have to live with for the rest of his life. He is truly sorry for making this decision, and wishes to convey his apology to not only the Rumson Police Department, but to the entire community at large. John is fully prepared to accept whatever consequences are deemed appropriate for making this mistake."

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