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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 auction website GovDeals.com. He also failed to deposit parking meter money into the borough's bank account.
Kennedy was also accused of keeping the money from borough office furniture that was sold on a private Facebook Marketplace account. He was charged with official misconduct and theft on Friday, Mar. 18, 2022, and surrendered to the Ocean County Sheriff's Office.
A further investigation showed Kennedy kept the cash from selling scrap metal in the borough's recycling center. Kennedy also stole money from "Friends of Ocean Gate" that was donated to his re-election campaign and his running mates' campaigns.
Kennedy was charged with more counts of official misconduct and he surrendered himself again on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.
"This is a textbook example of public corruption: the leveraging of one’s official public position to gain unlawful personal benefits," said Billhimer. "The overwhelming majority of public officials perform their duties with integrity and honor. Mr. Kennedy, however, took advantage of the very citizens he was sworn to serve.
"He was elected to serve the people of Ocean Gate, yet he prioritized his personal interests and greed over the needs of his constituents. This is unacceptable conduct – conduct that only serves to undermine the public’s faith and confidence in public officials."
Kennedy will be eligible for parole after two years.
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