He's dirt poor, McGreevey tells divorce judge

ELIZABETH, N.J. - Saying his infamous resignation and marital split have ruined his potential to earn a living, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey tried to persuade a Union County divorce judge yesterday that he is too poor to pay alimony to his estranged wife.

McGreevey, the nation's first openly gay governor, testified that he has limited income, few assets and significant debts. The gay sex scandal that toppled his administration and the publicity surrounding his messy divorce have left him all but unemployable, he said.

"Because of this case, I have been financially crippled," said McGreevey, now an Episcopal seminary student.

McGreevey, 50, resigned in 2004, 13 months before his first term was to end, announcing in a nationally televised speech that he was "a gay American."

He said he had an affair with a male staff member while living with his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey. The staff member denies the affair and says the governor sexually harassed him.

"I got my furnishings at a Huffman Koos going-out-of-business sale," McGreevey said, referring to a North Jersey furniture store chain, when asked to describe his belongings.

He is scheduled to return to the stand today for more cross-examination before Superior Court Judge Karen M. Cassidy.

With prompting from his lawyer, Stephen Haller, McGreevey rehashed his jobs and salaries during three hours of testimony. He acknowledged being indifferent to money and said he had passed up opportunities during his marriage to bring home more, choosing instead to run for public office.

McGreevey said he owed a previous divorce lawyer at least $116,000 and had not paid his first wife any child support this year.

He said he relied on boyfriend Mark O'Donnell to pay legal bills and lifestyle expenses. He lives in Plainfield in a house owned by O'Donnell and said he owed O'Donnell money.

O'Donnell is expected to testify next week.

Employment expert Donna Kolsky is to be called this afternoon to testify about McGreevey's employment capacity. She is expected to testify that his maximum potential annual income is $118,000 from teaching and consulting.

"He testified beautifully," Haller said when asked how his client had performed on the stand.

John Post, who represents Matos McGreevey, left court without commenting.

Matos McGreevey, 41, wants alimony, and is asking the judge to base the payments, in part, on McGreevey's "marital conduct," including his alleged relationship with the male employee.

Before McGreevey took the stand, Haller told the judge that the ex-governor should not have to pay alimony to his wife because their "short-term marriage" - they wed in 2000 - did not qualify her to it. Haller accused Matos McGreevey of having an "emotional vendetta" against his client.

Haller also said Matos McGreevey's earnings had exceeded her husband's during about half of their marriage.

Matos McGreevey is a hospital executive, but she is slated to lose her job next month when the hospital closes. She provided guest commentary on cable TV during the Eliot Spitzer sex scandal.

Post said it was "absurd" that the two partners had roughly equal earnings, and said McGreevey was underestimating his earning potential.

Post noted that McGreevey had earned $429,000 in 2006 and $185,000 last year. Matos McGreevey makes about $82,000 in her current job.

The McGreeveys separated shortly after he left office. They are fighting over alimony, child support, and how to divide their assets and liabilities. They have agreed on custody of their only child, 6-year-old Jacqueline.

Matos McGreevey is asking the court to award her alimony and additional money based on the contention that McGreevey committed marriage fraud. She says she was duped into marriage by a gay man who needed the cover of a wife to advance his political career.

McGreevey says his wife should have known he was gay.

He testified that he had proposed writing a tell-all book with his estranged wife, but that she had turned him down and later wrote her own memoir.

McGreevey said he was offered $1 million to write his life story shortly after leaving office, but later signed a contract for far less. He said his goal was not to make money, but to help gay and lesbian teens find the courage to live openly after reading about his life as a closeted gay man.