|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that a warehouse supervisor and
four other state employees have been charged
with official misconduct for allegedly stealing
surplus equipment from a state warehouse
in Hamilton.
One
employee, William Gawroski III, 32, of Hamilton,
pleaded guilty to an official misconduct
charge today in Superior Court in Trenton.
The supervisor and three other employees
at the Department of Treasury’s First
Avenue Warehouse were arrested yesterday
by the State Police. Each was charged with
second-degree official misconduct and third-degree
theft by unlawful taking.
The
charges resulted from a year-long investigation
by the New Jersey State Police that commenced
when Treasury officials obtained information
that Gawroski was taking illegal payments
from a recycling company in return for helping
the company to secure more valuable equipment
in auctions of surplus state computer equipment.
The
State Police probe quickly expanded to include
allegations that employees at the warehouse
were taking home state-owned computers and
that the warehouse supervisor, David Winkler,
46, of Bordentown, was running a scheme
in which employees took surplus metal equipment
to a non-approved recycler, sold it for
cash as scrap metal, and split the money.
“We
have zero tolerance for officials who steal
or misappropriate public property,”
said Attorney General Milgram. “It
makes no difference whether it is called
surplus or scrap. This was property worth
thousands of dollars that belonged to the
state and its taxpayers.”
Winkler,
Gawroski and two other defendants –
Dominick Mangine, 44, of Jackson, and James
Mate, 47, of Yardville – were charged
with illicitly selling more than $24,000
in scrap metal and dividing the proceeds
between July 2005 and April 2007. The surplus
metal items sold as scrap included desks,
filing cabinets and other furniture and
equipment.
In
addition, Winkler and Mangine were charged
with assisting Gawroski to steal a computer
and related accessories from the warehouse
on Dec. 17, 2007. Another employee, Thomas
Sundstrom, 65, of Southampton, was also
charged with assisting in that theft.
The
warehouse is part of a work study program
of the Juvenile Justice Commission in which
about a dozen juveniles assigned to the
JJC worked with the defendants under the
supervision of Winkler assisting with warehouse
duties, refinishing furniture and learning
job readiness skills.
“These
men were supposed to be rehabilitating JJC
youth to become productive members of society,”
said Attorney General Milgram. “Instead,
they were providing the worst possible example.”
Gawroski
pleaded guilty today to an accusation charging
him with third-degree pattern of official
misconduct before Superior Court Judge Charles
A. Delehey. He admitted that he participated
in the scrap metal thefts and took $1,400
in illegal payments from a recycling company.
Scrap
metal from the warehouse is supposed to
go to one recycling company that has a contract
with the state to buy it. The company credits
the state for each load and pays Treasury
by check. Gawroski admitted that he participated
in a scheme with Winkler, Mangine and Mate
in which they took the scrap metal to another
recycling company in Trenton, which paid
up to several hundred dollars in cash per
load. He said the men divided the cash.
Under the plea agreement, Gawroski must
pay restitution to the Department of Treasury
of $24,292.
Gawroski
further admitted that he received payments
totaling $1,400 from Bruin Computer Trading
LLC in connection with Bruin’s purchase
of pallets of surplus computer equipment
at state auction. Gawroski admitted that
he took payments from employees of Bruin
in return for identifying auction pallets
that contained more valuable equipment and,
in some cases, loading more and better equipment
on pallets for Bruin. Gawroski must surrender
the $1,400.
Under
the plea agreement, Gawroski must forfeit
his state employment and be permanently
barred from any public employment in New
Jersey. The state will recommend a probationary
sentence for Gawroski. He also may face
a criminal fine of up to $15,000. Judge
Delehey scheduled Gawroski’s sentencing
for June 30.
The
investigation was conducted by Lt. Keith
Dangler, Detective Sgt. 1st Class John Cappetta
and Detective Sgt. Vincent Greene of the
State Police State Governmental Security
Bureau Investigations Unit. Deputy Attorney
General Anthony Picione is handling the
case for the Division of Criminal Justice
- Corruption Bureau. He is deputy chief
of the bureau.
Second-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years
in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000,
while third-degree crimes carry a maximum
sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000
fine.
Bail
was set at $25,000 for Winkler, and at $20,000
each for Mangine, Mate and Sundstrom. The
charges filed against them are merely accusations
and they are presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
# # # |
