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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced that former Clayton Borough police
chief Frank Winters was sentenced to state
prison today for stealing from Mothers Against
Drunk Driving and his police department.
He stole $180,000 from MADD.
Frank
Winters, 62, of Newfield, was sentenced
to seven years in state prison by Superior
Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson in
Gloucester County. He was ordered to pay
$180,000 in restitution to MADD and $989
to Clayton Borough. The judge ordered that
he be permanently barred from public employment
in New Jersey.
Winters
pleaded guilty on Sept. 10 to second-degree
theft by deception for the thefts from MADD,
and second-degree official misconduct for
the thefts from the police department. The
charges were contained in two separate indictments
obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice.
The charges resulted from an investigation
by the New Jersey State Police Organized
Crime Control Bureau South and the Division
of Criminal Justice.
Judge
Allen-Jackson sentenced Winters to seven
years in prison on the theft charge related
to MADD, and five years on the official
misconduct charge related to the thefts
from the police department, with the sentences
to be served concurrently.
“This
former police chief broke the laws he was
sworn to uphold and betrayed the trust he
gained as a local and national leader of
Mothers Against Drunk Driving,” said
Attorney General Milgram. “It is especially
disturbing that he stole from the police
force he led and from MADD, a nonprofit
dedicated to saving lives.”
Winters
and his wife, Bernice, 57, are former leaders
of MADD at the state and local levels. Frank
and Bernice Winters are both former chairmen
of the New Jersey state chapter of MADD.
Frank Winters also served on the national
board of directors.
Bernice
Winters was indicted with her husband on
July 18, 2007 on charges of conspiracy and
theft related to the money stolen from MADD.
Under the plea agreement with Frank Winters,
the state agreed not to oppose Bernice Winters’
application to the court for the Pre-Trial
Intervention Program, conditioned on the
couple’s payment of $180,000 in restitution
to MADD.
“We
will continue to work with the State Police
and other law enforcement partners throughout
New Jersey to uncover and prosecute public
corruption,” said Director Gramiccioni.
“We have made a strong commitment
to these efforts, and this case is a good
example of the results we are achieving.”
In
pleading guilty, Winters admitted that between
July 2001 and June 2004, he stole $180,000
from MADD by fraudulently billing the nonprofit
organization for purchases of promotional
items from Holiday House and Lasting Impact,
two companies that he owned. Winters admitted
that the promotional items were never provided
to MADD. The state’s investigation
determined that Winters used the money as
his own, depositing it into his bank account
and using it to pay for personal debts and
expenses, including his mortgage, car payments,
dinners, travel, jewelry, computer equipment
and furniture.
Winters
also admitted he used his position as police
chief to fraudulently bill Clayton Borough
in connection with purchases for the police
department from Holiday House. Winters over-billed
the borough for purchases in December 2004
of high intensity flashlights for DUI checkpoints
and “child crisis bears” which
were never delivered. The “child crisis
bears” are stuffed animals given to
children by officers in times of family
crisis. In making those purchases, Winters
concealed the fact that he owned Holiday
House and was using his position as chief
to generate profits for himself in violation
of the state ethics laws regarding local
government.
The
investigation was conducted by the New Jersey
State Police Organized Crime Control Bureau
South in coordination with Deputy Attorney
General Jill Mayer of the Division of Criminal
Justice Gangs and Organized Crime Bureau.
Mayer presented both indictments to the
state grand jury and handled today’s
sentencing. Deputy Attorney General Philip
Aronow took the plea from Winters.
Winters
resigned as chief in Clayton on April 24,
2007, after he was charged by complaint
in the MADD case.
Attorney
General Milgram 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 site 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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