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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that Orange Mayor and former Assemblyman
Mims Hackett Jr. was charged today with
fraudulently billing the city for thousands
of dollars in travel expenses he never incurred.
Hackett,
66, allegedly forged receipts for numerous
meals at pricey restaurants that he purportedly
paid for on trips he took as mayor, submitting
them for reimbursement from the City of
Orange. It is alleged that the expenses
were fictitious or someone else actually
paid the bill.
According
to Director Paw, Hackett allegedly received
a total of more than $5,700 in payments
from the City of Orange for fraudulent travel
expenses.
Hackett
was charged by complaint summons with official
misconduct, a second-degree crime. He will
be ordered to appear in Superior Court in
Essex County at a later date to answer the
charge, which carries a maximum sentence
of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000
fine.
“We
charge that Mayor Hackett shamelessly stole
from the city he was sworn to serve at a
time when it was struggling to meet its
financial obligations and the needs of its
residents,” said Attorney General
Milgram. “We have zero tolerance for
such corruption.”
It
is alleged that between 2002 and 2006, Hackett
submitted 16 fraudulent travel expense vouchers
– called “purchase orders”
– seeking reimbursement for expenses
he allegedly incurred while attending conferences
and other events inside and outside of New
Jersey on behalf of the City of Orange.
The vouchers allegedly included more than
$5,700 in meal expenses he never paid. Hackett
frequently attached handwritten “Guest
Check” receipts for expensive meals,
as opposed to computer generated receipts.
Hackett allegedly wrote the receipts himself.
In
other instances, he allegedly submitted
fraudulent carbon receipts for restaurant
charges imprinted with his American Express
credit card. The charges are not reflected
in his credit card records, which were obtained
by the Division of Criminal Justice.
“By
examining city records, credit card statements
and other information, investigators documented
a disturbing pattern of fraudulent billing
by Mayor Hackett,” said Director Paw.
“He apparently believed that nobody
would question his expenses, but fortunately
a city employee tipped authorities. We urge
anyone with information about potential
corruption to alert our office.”
The
investigation began after Hackett’s
former executive assistant in the mayor’s
office alerted authorities about the questionable
expense vouchers.
Sgt.
Warren H. Monroe and Deputy Attorney General
Michael Monahan conducted the investigation
for the Division of Criminal Justice - Corruption
Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Monahan
is prosecuting the case.
Hackett
frequently submitted handwritten “Guest
Check” receipts containing terse information,
such as “3 Dinners Fish + Steak $165.17.”
The receipts were filled out in similar
handwriting, and the serial numbers of many
of them are close in sequence, suggesting
they came from the same receipt pad, even
though they were submitted for meals in
different cities, months apart.
Hackett’s
former executive assistant reported that
in March 2006 she walked into his office
and saw him filling out “Guest Check”
receipts with his left hand. Hackett is
right-handed.
In
one instance, Hackett dined with a City
of Orange councilman at the Palomino Restaurant
in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Nov. 30, 2004,
during a conference. Although the councilman
paid the $202.02 bill for the table with
his credit card, Hackett allegedly asked
the councilman for an extra copy of the
bill and submitted it to the city for reimbursement
with his own expenses for the trip. The
councilman also submitted the bill with
his expenses.
Following
the New Jersey League of Municipalities
Conference in Atlantic City in November
2005, Hackett submitted the yellow customer
copy of a carbon receipt imprinted with
his American Express card for three dinners
totaling $206.41 at “Lenney’s”
in Atlantic City dated 11/18/05. The name
“Lenney’s was handwritten on
the receipt. He submitted the white merchant
copy of the same receipt, with the date
changed to 4/28/06, with his expenses for
a conference in Memphis, Tennessee in April
2006. There is no restaurant named Lenney’s
in either city and the expenses never appeared
in Hackett’s American Express records.
The
charge filed against Hackett is merely an
accusation and he is presumed innocent until
proven guilty.
Currently,
Mayor Hackett also faces a federal bribery
charge filed in September 2007 by U.S. Attorney
Christopher Christie. Hackett was charged
with taking a $5,000 bribe to steer a city
contract to an insurance broker.
Attorney
General Milgram and Director Paw noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice - Corruption
Bureau has established a toll-free Corruption
Tipline for the public to report corruption,
financial crime and other illegal activities.
The statewide Corruption Tipline is 1-866-TIPS-4CJ.
Additionally, the public can log on to the
Division of Criminal Justice Web page at
www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will
remain confidential.
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