TRENTON, N.J. — A former aide to ex-Gov. Jim McGreevey claims he had sexual trysts with McGreevey and his estranged wife before the governor took office. Theodore Pedersen, McGreevey's former driver and traveling aide, detailed multiple trysts in interviews Sunday with The Star-Ledger of Newark and New York Post. He disputes claims by Dina Matos McGreevey that she did not know about her husband's homosexuality when she married him in October 2000.
In her book, "Silent Partner," Matos McGreevey says she missed the signs that her husband preferred men. She says she didn't learn of his homosexuality until shortly before he announced to the nation that he was "a gay American" and would resign.
Pedersen, a 29-year-old real estate developer, told the newspapers that the threesomes started in 1999 while McGreevey was mayor of Woodbridge and McGreevey and Dina were dating. He said they stopped when McGreevey was elected governor in 2001.
He said he only had contact with Matos McGreevey during the trysts, and wasn't sure whether McGreevey was gay.
"In hindsight, there might have been light interest (in me)," Pedersen told The Ledger, "but it didn't seem like he was gay. It did enhance their sexual relationship having me be a part of it." Pedersen's name surfaced recently as part of the McGreeveys' contentious divorce proceedings, with Matos McGreevey asking whether Pedersen's trip to China last summer, in which he accompanied McGreevey and his boyfriend, Mark O'Donnell, was paid for out of a bank account the former governor and his partner share.
Pedersen told the newspapers he gave a sworn deposition about the sexual liaisons and expects to be called as a witness in the divorce trial.
In her book, Matos McGreevey refers to Pedersen as a close acquaintance but someone she didn't always want around. On a trip to Canada during which she expected McGreevey to pop the marriage question, she insisted that Pedersen stay behind.
Matos McGreevey claims in her divorce suit that her husband defrauded her by hiding his sexuality before and during their marriage. She is seeking $600,000 in damages.
Matos McGreevey and her lawyer, John Post, did not respond to messages and calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. McGreevey didn't return calls or messages. His lawyer,
Stephen Haller, declined to comment Sunday night. Pedersen could not be reached for comment Sunday night.