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Public Corruption

Police & Fire
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions A former mayor of Ocean Gate will spend time in state prison for pocketing money from government auctions, parking meter funds, and scrap metal sales, authorities said. Paul Kennedy, 68, of Ocean Gate, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 26 to three years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. Kennedy pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 22 to pattern of official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, Kennedy is banned from holding public office or employment. Investigators said that while he was mayor, Kennedy took money from borough assets sold on the government auc…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Town Employee Pocketed $10K In Utility Payments: Prosecutor NJ Town Employee Pocketed $10K In Utility Payments: Prosecutor
NJ Town Employee Pocketed $10K In Utility Payments: Prosecutor A Tuckerton Borough utility collector has been arrested on accusations she stole $10,000 from the municipality. Jennifer Docherty, 46, of West Creek, failed pocketed proceeds from the tax, water, and sewer payments for the borough between June 2018 and June 2023, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Docherty surrendered to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in the presence of her attorney on Monday, Nov. 21. She was processed and served with the charge via summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.  She was charged with theft by f…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG
Clark Township Mayor Charged With Forging Signatures In 24 Towns To Benefit Landscaping Biz: AG Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso was charged Monday, Nov. 20 with forging paperwork to nearly 24 New Jersey towns to allow his landscaping company to remove underground tanks, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Bonaccorso, 63, used township employees to help him run his private business, Bonaccorso and Son LLC, along with township devices like computers and fax machines, Platkin said following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau. While running his business, Bonaccorso posed as an engineer, using his name, license num…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Woman Charged With Stealing $195K From Former Employer: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Woman Charged With Stealing $195K From Former Employer: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Woman Charged With Stealing $195K From Former Employer: Prosecutor An Ocean County woman is accused of stealing nearly $200,000 from her former employer in Monmouth County, authorities said. Jessica L. Schott, 44, of Point Pleasant, was charged with theft by unlawful taking, forgery and false uttering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said on Tuesday, Nov. 14. An investigation by the MCPO Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau began earlier this year after a tip from a Wall Township-based company that used to employ Schott, Santiago said. The prosecutor did not name the company. A review of the company’s financial…

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by Jon Craig
News
Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds
Wildwood Mayor Admits Tax Dodge: Feds Wildwood Mayor Peter J. Byron admitted Friday that he ducked paying taxes on $40,425 that he received for working as a salesman for a law firm, federal authorities said. Byron, 67, officially pleaded guilty to twice willfully "aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of fraudulent tax returns" to the IRS for calendar years 2017 and 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on March 24. The mayor still has a state case to deal with. He, former Mayor Ernest V. Troiano Jr. and City Commissioner Steven E. Mikulski were charged last year with fraudulently collecting stat…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
NJ Borough's Dem Leader Took Cash In Attempt To Influence Criminal Case: Prosecutor NJ Borough's Dem Leader Took Cash In Attempt To Influence Criminal Case: Prosecutor
NJ Borough's Dem Leader Took Cash In Attempt To Influence Criminal Case: Prosecutor The chairman of Sayreville's Democratic party and employee with the NJ Turnpike Authority has been charged with accepting thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for "influencing a a criminal case," authorities said. Thomas V. Pollando — the borough's former council president and current VP of the Middlesex County Planning Board — was caught between July and August 2022 accepting the cash and saying he'd attempt to use his political clout to influence an ongoing criminal case, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone  said. Pollando, 72, of Parlin, served as the long-time pres…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: NJ Mail Carrier Picked Up, Delivered Drugs For Years Feds: NJ Mail Carrier Picked Up, Delivered Drugs For Years
Feds: NJ Mail Carrier Picked Up, Delivered Drugs For Years A New Jersey mail carrier took bribes for five years to help people use the U.S. Postal Service to ship coke, pot and other contraband through the mail. Emerson Pavilus, 46, of Union was working for the post office in Flanders when he took the payoffs, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. “Among other things, Pavilus provided his conspirators with addresses in Flanders to which parcels could be shipped, intercepted those parcels from the mail stream, and personally delivered those parcels to conspirators at addresses other than those listed on the parcels,” Honig said. Pavilus was n…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
AG: County Detective Illegally Attached Hidden GPS To Suspect's Vehicle AG: County Detective Illegally Attached Hidden GPS To Suspect's Vehicle
AG: County Detective Illegally Attached Hidden GPS To Suspect's Vehicle An Essex County prosecutor’s detective who stuck a hidden GPS on a suspect’s vehicle without permission was indicted Monday on official misconduct charges, authorities said. Timothy Kealy, 27, of Bloomfield was working with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Task Force when he bought and installed the tracking device without getting a supervisor’s permission to apply to a judge for a warrant, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced. A court-issued warrant is required by law for law enforcement to install a GPS device on a vehicle. Kealy was suspended as a resu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Councilwoman Indicted For Using Government Credit Cards To Stalk Magic Johnson In Newark Councilwoman Indicted For Using Government Credit Cards To Stalk Magic Johnson In Newark
Councilwoman Indicted For Using Government Credit Cards To Stalk Magic Johnson In Newark A South Carolina councilwoman was indicted on public corruption charges for using government credit cards to book pricey trips -- including one to Newark in order to stalk NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, the Columbia Post and Courier reports. The 24-count indictment was issued by the state grand jury Thursday against Richland County Council Vice Chairwoman Dahli Myers. Elected in 2016, Myers lost this year's Democratic primary election for Council District 10 earlier this year. Her term was set to end on Dec. 31, but Gov. Henry McMaster suspended her from officer on Fri…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Trump Family Friend From Montclair Arrested On Cyberstalking Charges Trump Family Friend From Montclair Arrested On Cyberstalking Charges
Trump Family Friend From Montclair Arrested On Cyberstalking Charges A former Montclair resident who is family friends with Donald Trump's family was arrested and accused of cyberstalking three people and harassing two others. The criminal complaint against Ken Kurson -- who is close friends with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -- was filed last week in the public corruption unit of the U.S. attorney's Brooklyn office. The alleged harassment was revealed earlier this year as part of a background check, when Kurson was nominated by the Trump administration to the board of National Endowment for the Humanities. The FBI discovered that Kurson had ha…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Ex-Middlesex Mayor Pleads Guilty To Stealing $75K From Political Campaigns Ex-Middlesex Mayor Pleads Guilty To Stealing $75K From Political Campaigns
Ex-Middlesex Mayor Pleads Guilty To Stealing $75K From Political Campaigns The former mayor of Middlesex Borough has admitted to stealing more than $75,000 from local political campaigns, authorities said. Middlesex Mayor Ronald J. DiMura, 64, pleaded guilty to theft by deception, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said on Thursday. DiMura's term as mayor ended in December 2019. He entered his guilty plea before Superior Court Judge Benjamin S. Bucca in Middlesex County. The state has recommended that DiMura be sentenced to seven years in state prison, Grewal said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan.. 15, 2021. DiMura will be barred from ever holding pu…

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by Jon Craig