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Michael Ruvo, 56, of Toms River, was charged on Wednesday, Sept. 20, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Among the offenses were instances of double-dipping in the towns he worked for, totaling more than 150 excess hours paid, the prosecutor said.
The investigation revealed that while Ruvo was employed in Beachwood as the Code Enforcement-Zoning Officer, he was also employed by the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach as a Code Enforcement Officer between March 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021, as well as the Borough of Lavallette in the same capacity from August 15, 2022 through March 19 of this year.
A comparison of time sheets between the boroughs of Point Pleasant Beach, Lavallette, and Beachwood revealed in excess of 150 hours where Ruvo certified that he was on the clock working for Beachwood — while also certifying that he was working in either Point Pleasant Beach or Lavallette at the same time, Billhimer said.
In Beachwood, Ruvo was responsible for conducting inspections to ensure compliance with various municipal ordinances, initiating legal proceedings against violators of municipal ordinances, and signing off on certificates of occupancy that permitted residences to be occupied.
The investigation revealed that Ruvo engaged in a number of unauthorized transactions where he used his position to gain unlawful personal benefits, Billhiimer said.
Specifically, in April 2022, Ruvo created a Limited Liability Company (LLC) for the purpose of surreptitiously purchasing a property on Surf Avenue in Beachwood that was subject to various code violations, the prosecutor said.
Ruvo failed to disclose to the individual who held power of attorney for the property owner that he was, in fact, the purchaser, and claimed to be arranging the sale on behalf of a third party who wished to remain anonymous, the prosecutor said.
The investigation revealed that Ruvo was able to negotiate a sale price of $80,000 – notwithstanding the fact that the appraised value of the property at the time was in excess of $200,000, he said. The closing was in July 2022.
In a separate instance in June 2022, Ruvo issued a code enforcement violation to a property owner on Tiller Avenue. The property owner contacted Ruvo in his capacity as Code Enforcement Officer, saying she had received an estimate to bring the property up to code but was seeking an extension of time to remedy the violation.
Ruvo then related to the property owner that he knew of a company that would perform the job for less money than the estimate provided to her and in a timelier manner. Ruvo instructed the property owner to contact the company — Express Cleanout. The investigation revealed that Ruvo was the owner of Express Cleanout, and failed to advise the property owner of this fact. Ruvo’s company then failed to complete the job in full, Billhimer said. Despite not completing the work, Ruvo deemed the property to be in compliance — in his capacity as Beachwood’s Code Enforcement Officer, the prosecutor said.
Billhimer asked anyone in possession of additional information with respect to Ruvo’s conduct as a Code Enforcement Officer in Beachwood, Point Pleasant Beach or Lavallette to contact Sergeant Raymond Gardner of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office’s Economic Crime Squad at (732) 929-2027, extension 3908.
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