57°
Timothy Morris, 56, of Bayville (Ocean County), who served as NJDOC’s Range Master, is accused of illegally ordering excess ammunition and selling it on the secondary market, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.
Morris allegedly pocketed more than $475,000 through this scheme while attempting to conceal his financial transactions, prosecutors said.
Morris, who has held his Range Master position since 2008, was responsible for ordering and maintaining all ammunition used at four NJDOC gun ranges, including:
- Annandale (Hunterdon County)
- Browns Mills (Burlington County)
- Maurice River (Cumberland County)
- Sea Girt (Monmouth County)
He also oversaw ammunition at the Special Operations Group Headquarters in Trenton, authorities said.
Since at least January 2019, Morris allegedly ordered excess ammunition and sold it for cash and check payments made directly to himself from a gun supply store, officials said.
Morris also allegedly structured bank transactions to avoid triggering federal reporting requirements for deposits over $10,000, prosecutors said.
Authorities claim he cashed multiple checks in small increments to evade detection and avoid suspicious activity reports at financial institutions.
Attorney General Platkin condemned the alleged scheme, calling it a betrayal of taxpayers and public trust.
“As the allegations in this case show, corruption is an expensive drain on public resources and victimizes taxpayers,” Platkin said. “The defendant allegedly abused his law enforcement position to steal from the public, and he tried to conceal it with financial transactions designed to fly under the radar.”
“I am proud of the work conducted by the Special Investigations Division in pursuing this investigation, and this administration will aggressively pursue any individual who violates the law,” Kuhn said.
Morris has been suspended from the NJDOC and is facing the following charges:
- Official Misconduct (2nd degree)
- Theft (2nd degree)
- Structuring Financial Transactions (3rd degree)
If convicted, Morris could face up to 10 years in state prison and fines of up to $150,000, officials said.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Richard Bobbe, under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrock and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA).
Authorities thanked the New Jersey State Police Corruption Bureau and NJDOC Special Investigations Division for their work on the case.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Red Bank and receive free news updates.
