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Detectives watching him found Abraham Garcia, 56, of North Bergen (above, left), putting in for more than 130 hours of no-show work and Walter Somick, 46, of Wayne (above, right), receiving pay for 110 hours he didn’t work, acting state Attorney General John J. Hoffman said this morning.
Both were issued court summonses last night charging them with theft and tampering with public records, he said.
“The charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison, including a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of two years on the charge of tampering with public records or information,” Hoffman said following the state Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau investigation.
As CLIFFVIEW PILOT originally reported, state investigators removed several boxes of documents from the North Bergen Parks & Recreation Department offices in the Kennedy Boulevard municipal building on March 9.
Garcia worked as a supervisor of security for the North Bergen Board of Education and is an assistant NBHS varsity football coach. At the same time, he’s been employed as a recreational aide by the township DPR, collecting $1,038 every two weeks in 2014 and $1,094 every two weeks so far this year, Hoffman said.
“Garcia consistently submitted timesheets indicating he worked 42 hours for the two-week pay period,” the attorney general said. “It is alleged, however, that he falsified timesheets to indicate he worked for the DPR during hours when, in fact, he was home, running errands, socializing or doing other things unrelated to the DPR.
Somick, a union electrician, also held a rec aide job with the department, which paid him $1,405 every two weeks last year and $1,481 every two weeks in 2015 to date, Hoffman said.
“Somick submitted timesheets indicating that the number of hours he worked varied from one pay period to the next, but they reflected an average of approximately 60 hours of work every two weeks,” he said. “It is alleged, however, that he falsified timesheets to indicate he worked for the DPR during hours when, in reality, he was at his home engaged in personal activities.
“Local residents pay enough in property taxes without having to foot the bill for fraud,” Hoffman said.
“The criminal charges we have filed carry substantial prison time and send a strong message that theft of taxpayer dollars through low-show jobs won’t be tolerated,” added DCJ Director Elie Honig. “We urge anyone who suspects this type of abuse by public employees to contact us confidentially.”
To do so, call the toll-free tip line: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ
Deputy Attorneys General Cynthia Vazquez, Victor R. Salgado and Julia Zukina are handling the case.
The lead investigators are Detective Garrett E. Brown and Investigator Joseph Salvatore, assisted by Detectives Lee Bailey, Matthew Burd, Kiersten Pentony and Thomas Page of the Corruption Bureau Central Squad, as well as Sgt. Patrick Kendig and Detective Joseph Saiia.
IMAGES: Courtesy: NJ ATTORNEY GENERAL
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