Gillingham player-manager Andy Hessenthaler branded referee Mark Cooper "an absolute disgrace" after his side sentenced Brighton to a sixth straight league defeat.
Gillingham finished with nine men, full-back Mark Saunders seeing red on 37 minutes for violent conduct and striker Kevin James following suit in stoppage time for a second bookable offence.
The visitors were already 3-1 up when Saunders was dismissed for retaliating to a tackle by Shaun Wilkinson. James received his marching orders after slotting a comical clincher as Brighton goalkeeper Andy Petterson lost his footing.
James, booked earlier in the second half for a foul, was yellow carded again for removing his shirt and celebrating in front of the Gillingham fans. Hesenthaler fumed: "Kevin is a young kid who has just got into the side and he was obviously delighted.
"He shouldn't have done it because he was already on a yellow card, but the referee should have used some common sense. "They get paid a lot of money now but they have got worse as far as I am concerned."
Cooper also booked seven other players, four for Gillingham and three for Brighton. Added Hessenthaler: "After the game I used an f word and I think he is reporting me for that.
"He is reporting our chairman as well. I think he used a few choice words and he doesn't normally swear. "We won 4-2 and it was a good three points for us, but it was all geared around the referee's performance and it was a shame."
Two goals in the space of a minute by Paul Shaw and David Perpetuini put Gilingham in early command.
Shaw chipped a delightful second on 36 minutes after Richard Carpenter had reduced Brighton's arrears against his old club with a right foot shot from 20 yards.
Gary Hart gave Brighton hope with a stretching volley from a cross by fellow sub Daniel Marney ten minutes from time, but James raced clear on the break to wrap the points up for Gillingham.
HASH(0x8ff0de8)