More troubles for Gloucester Fire Marshal after his brother says financial disclosures are not true

Does embattled Gloucester County Fire Marshal Shawn Layton own a piece of his brother’s auto detailing business or not?

Layton is under investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s office after a first responder dog trained for arson investigations died mysteriously in a county-owned 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe outside his Sewell home in August.

The vehicle, which was impounded by prosecutors several after the incident, has brought Car Effex,  which was founded by Layton’s brother, Michael, into the public controversy over the death of K9 Ember, a three-year-old red fox Golden Retriever.

Car Effex has a contract with Gloucester County to do work on county vehicles, including those under the control of Layton.

For five years between 2016 and 2021, Layton listed his ownership of Car Effex in personal financial disclosures filed with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, both in his capacity as fire marshal, and from 2017 to 2021, as a Mantua Township Committeeman.

But Michael Layton said his brother never owned a piece of his business, despite what appears on Shawn Layton’s financial disclosure.

“I’m the only owner,” he told the New Jersey Globe.  “I’ve got brothers and none of them have any interest.  I started this business myself in 2002.  You’ve got bad information.”

The dispute between the Layton brothers means that someone is playing fast and loose with the truth, and either way, it might not end well for Shawn Layton.

If Shawn Layton did have a personal interest in Car Effex, then he’ll likely face questions about how government vehicles under his command were serviced at taxpayer expense by a private company he owned.

And if he inexplicably lied on five successive financial disclosures he filed with the state – “I hereby certify that this Financial Disclosure Statement contains to willful misstatement: —  he’ll probably need to explain why he signed a legal document that provided false information.

An attorney representing Car Effex, Brian J. Duffield, told the New Jersey Globe last month that the company installed vinyl decal and wrap services on Shawn Layton’s county vehicle in July 2020.  Public records show that Car Effex has also performed other work on fire marshal vehicles since Layton joined the Gloucester County Fire Marshal’s office in 2016.

Duffield did not immediately respond to emails on Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon, or a phone call to his law office at 10:30 AM seeking comment.