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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced that a former council member for
the City of Orange pleaded guilty today to
fraudulently billing the city for undocumented
travel expenses.
According
to Director Gramiccioni, Vivian Gaunt, 71,
a former president of the City Council of
Orange, pleaded guilty to third-degree official
misconduct before Superior Court Judge Michael
A. Petrolle in Essex County. Under the plea
agreement, the state will recommend that she
be sentenced to a term of probation. Judge
Petrolle scheduled her sentencing for May
21.
Gaunt
admitted that between December 2001 and January
2007, while serving as a member of the city
council, she submitted false receipts and
purchase orders to the City of Orange to obtain
reimbursement for meal expenses that she claimed
to have incurred while traveling to conferences
as a representative of the city. Gaunt certified
that the purchase orders were correct and
true, when, in fact, she did not have actual
receipts for the expenses and made up the
amounts. In all, she submitted 22 fraudulent
hand-written receipts attached to five purchase
orders. As a result of the fraudulent billing,
Gaunt received reimbursement for certain expenses
she never incurred. She agreed to pay $250
in restitution to the city under the plea
agreement.
Sgt.
Warren H. Monroe and Deputy Attorney General
Michael Monahan investigated the case for
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Monahan represented
the state at the plea hearing.
The
investigation of Gaunt started with a tip
from a city employee who also reported that
former Orange mayor and former state assemblyman
Mims Hackett Jr. fraudulently billed the City
of Orange for travel expenses. Hackett was
investigated by the Attorney General’s
Office and prosecuted for fraudulently billing
the City of Orange for more than $5,000 in
travel expenses he never incurred. He pleaded
guilty to second-degree official misconduct
and was sentenced in January to five years
in state prison.
The
Division of Criminal Justice has established
a toll-free Corruption Tipline for the public
to report corruption, financial crime and
other illegal activities: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ.
Additionally, the public can log on to the
Division Web site at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Tipline or Web page will
remain confidential.
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