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For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
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June 11, 2008  

Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Gregory A. Paw, Director

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Six State Workers and Six Camden City Employees Indicted on Charges They Stole Gas From Government Pumps - One private citizen also charged in thefts

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View Indictments - 1.6mb pdf
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TRENTON – Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that 12 public employees and one private citizen were indicted today on charges they stole gas for their personal cars from government fueling stations. Six are current or former employees of the state Department of Children and Families, two are City of Camden employees, and four are Camden City Board of Education employees.

According to Director Paw, the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Unit obtained 10 state grand jury indictments charging 13 defendants with official misconduct for allegedly stealing gas for their personal vehicles or, in one instance, stealing a government-issued fuel card used to activate the pumps. Some of the defendants were indicted on additional charges.

The charges resulted from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Unit and the State Police Organized Crime Control Bureau South.

“We charge that these government workers literally took a free ride at the expense of state and local taxpayers,” said Attorney General Milgram. “These thefts are a slap in the face to taxpayers who are struggling to afford the gas they need to get to work and to the grocery store. Government agencies in New Jersey pay millions of dollars a year for gas legitimately needed for official business, but we can’t afford to pay for employees who steal.”

New Jersey State Comptroller Matthew Boxer announced that his office will conduct an audit of vehicle and gasoline usage within the Department of Children and Families. The department’s fleet of approximately 2,500 vehicles uses tens of thousands of gallons of gas each week.

“Today’s indictments, as well as independent information we received previously, point out the need for a comprehensive review of the usage of the more than 2,500 vehicles used by the Department of Children and Families,” Boxer said. “Our audit team will take a close look at this issue to examine whether more controls are needed to close off the potential for further abuse.”

“We will continue to direct our resources and efforts to address this problem of public corruption,” said Criminal Justice Director Paw. “As in these cases, we will investigate and prosecute anyone who we find has violated the public’s trust and converted state resources for their personal gain.”

“The New Jersey State Police and its fine investigators will continue to support Attorney General Anne Milgram in her efforts to rid New Jersey of corruption. The unified efforts of our investigators and the Office of the Attorney General will continue to seek out, investigate and expose corruption at all levels in our state,” said New Jersey State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes.

The Department of Children and Families issues magnetic swipe cards that activate the pumps at state fueling stations. While fuel cards are supposed to be signed out with a specific state vehicle and remain with the vehicle, the defendants allegedly kept and shared the cards, using them to fuel their personal cars.

The following indictments were returned today for alleged thefts involving fuel cards issued by the Department of Children and Families:

  • Tyrone B. Williams, 48, of Willingboro, an administrative analyst for the Children and Families Licensing Office in Trenton, is charged with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree official misconduct and third-degree theft by unlawful taking for allegedly stealing more than $750 worth of gas for his personal vehicle on various occasions between April 2007 and May 2008 at the Mt. Laurel and Edgewater Park state fueling stations.
  • A single indictment charges Sharon Smalls, 37, a transportation aide in the Camden office of Children and Families, Montrice Wright, 29, also a transportation aide in that office, Sandra G. Ingram, 37, a clerk for the Camden City Board of Education, and Nicole Y. Millner, 32, a private citizen. The women are all from Camden. Wright and Millner are charged with second-degree official misconduct and third-degree theft by unlawful taking. Wright is also charged with second-degree pattern of official misconduct and third-degree official misconduct. Smalls and Ingram are charged with third-degree official misconduct. It is alleged that Smalls taught Wright how to steal gas, and they stole gas together at the state pumps in Berlin. Smalls also allegedly recruited Ingram, sharing a fuel card with her and going with her on three occasions beginning in August 2007 to fuel each of their personal vehicles at the state pumps in Cherry Hill. Wright allegedly recruited Millner, her cousin, teaching her how to use the pumps and sharing a state fuel card with her. In 2007, Wright allegedly stole more than $1,000 worth of gas and Millner allegedly stole more than $600 worth of gas from the Deptford, West Deptford and Cherry Hill fueling stations.
  • Jesse Rodriguez, 44, of Audubon, a vehicle coordinator for the Camden office of Children and Families, is charged with third-degree official misconduct for allegedly using a state-issued fuel card to steal 12 gallons of gas for his personal vehicle on July 28, 2007 at the West Deptford fueling station.
  • Benny B. Sherman, 35, of Paterson, a former vehicle dispatcher/coordinator for the Paterson office of Children and Families is charged with third-degree official misconduct for allegedly stealing a state fuel card prior to losing his state job in June 2007. He allegedly used the card to put 12 gallons of gas in his personal car at the state pumps in Totowa in April 2008.
  • Alexis R. Quezada, 29, of Clifton, an assistant family services worker in the Paterson office of Children and Families, is charged with third-degree official misconduct for allegedly using a state fuel card to steal 16 gallons of gas for his personal vehicle on April 23, 2008 at the state fueling station in Clifton.

Two municipal employees of the City of Camden were indicted. City employees who are authorized to use a city vehicle receive a fuel key and are assigned a specific pin number. The fuel key may be used to put up to 15 gallons of gas per week into the city vehicle. The key may not be used to fill any personal vehicle. Only employees who have special authorization can use the state pumps to fill their personal vehicles for city business. Neither of the indicted employees had such authorization.

The following indictments were returned alleging gas thefts by Camden municipal employees using city-issued fuel keys:

  • Patrick L. Freeman, 66, of Camden, Superintendent of the City of Camden Bureau of Recreation, is charged with third-degree official misconduct and third-degree pattern of official misconduct for allegedly stealing approximately 37 gallons of gas by fueling either his personal car or his son’s SUV at the city pumps on four occasions in September and October 2007 using a city-issued gas key.
  • Terrance Mayo, 25, of Lindenwold, an employee in the City of Camden Bureau of Recreation, is charged with third-degree official misconduct and third-degree pattern of official misconduct for allegedly fueling a friend’s SUV at the city pumps on Sept. 15 and Oct. 7, 2007, stealing about 10 gallons each time.

Three employees of the Camden City Board of Education were also indicted (in addition to Sandra Ingram – see above). Board employees who are authorized to receive gas from the city pumps for personal or municipal vehicles for official business do not receive city-issued fuel keys. Instead, the Board of Education has two attendants at the city pumps who have a master key to operate the pumps and who are authorized to pump gas for Board of Education employees who are on a list of approved employees. The employees must fill out a log indicating the date, their name, vehicle information and gallons pumped. The union contract for Board of Education employees specifies the maximum amount of fuel an employee is permitted to pump each week based on the position of the employee.

The following indictments were returned alleging gas thefts by Camden City Board of Education employees:

  • Urshell Pearson, 46, of Philadelphia, a plumbing foreman and inspector for the Camden City Board of Education, is charged with second-degree official misconduct, third-degree official misconduct, third-degree pattern of official misconduct and third-degree tampering with public records and information for allegedly exceeding the weekly limit of 25 gallons that he was permitted to obtain from the city pumps for his personal vehicle on five occasions between Sept. 4 and Nov. 8, 2007, and falsifying fuel logs to conceal the fact.
  • Charles Rice, 88, of Camden, who is employed by the Camden City Board of Education as a gas attendant at the city pumps, is charged with third-degree official misconduct and third-degree pattern of official misconduct for allegedly fueling personal vehicles at the city pumps on six occasions between Aug. 2 and Oct. 17, 2007. Rice is not authorized to fuel a personal vehicle at the city pumps.
  • William Elliot, 54, of Camden, who is employed as a roofer by the Camden City Board of Education but also serves as a gas attendant at the city pumps, is charged with third-degree official misconduct and third-degree pattern of official misconduct for allegedly fueling personal vehicles at the city pumps on three occasions in September 2007, stealing a total of about 29 gallons. Elliot is not authorized to fuel a personal vehicle at the city pumps.

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 state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.

The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The indictments were handed up to Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg in Mercer County. The defendants will be ordered to appear in court at a later date to answer the charges. Copies of the indictments are available with this release at www.njpublicsafety.com.

Attorney General Milgram credited Deputy Attorneys General Robert Czepiel and Peter Lee for presenting the cases to the state grand jury, and credited the following detectives for conducting the investigation:

From the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Unit: Detective Sgt. 1st Class Robert Schulte, Detective Sgt. Geoffrey P. Forker, Detective Sgt. Brice L. Cote, Detective Sgt. David A. Smith, Detective Rachel Vogel, Detective Kevin J. Plumaker and Detective James Sansone.

From the New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Control Bureau South: Lt. Miguel A. Cartagena, Detective Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth F. Farrell, Detective Sgt. 1st Class Glenn H. Pender, Detective Sgt. Vincent P. Coppola, Detective David D. Caracciolo, Detective Timothy Steinmetz, Detective George Wren and Detective Anthony Carugno.

Attorney General Milgram also thanked the state Department of Treasury and the state Human Services Police Department for their support and assistance in the investigation.

Insurance Companies for their assistance in this matter.

# # #

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