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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram announced
that a Passaic County funeral director was
sentenced today for stealing more than $56,000
in funds that were intended to pay for funerals
for families that could not afford them.
According
to Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni,
Manuel E. Martinez, 56, of Paterson, was sentenced
to one year of probation by Superior Court
Judge Joseph Falcone in Passaic County. Martinez
pleaded guilty on June 5 to an accusation
charging him with third-degree theft by deception.
Under
the plea agreement, Martinez delivered a check
for $56,150 in restitution for the Passaic
County Board of Social Services at the sentencing
hearing. He previously surrendered his New
Jersey funeral director’s license and
will be permanently barred from holding such
a license in the state.
As
owner and funeral director of Martinez’s
Funeraria Latina, Inc., on Market Street in
Paterson, Martinez provided funeral services
to people who received public assistance.
As part of the Work First New Jersey Program,
Martinez was eligible to be reimbursed $2,246
per decedent from the State of New Jersey
through the Passaic County Board of Social
Services (PCBSS) to subsidize the cost of
the funeral service. Representatives of the
deceased can contribute up to $1,570 for funeral
costs without Martinez losing funding from
PCBSS.
In
pleading guilty, Martinez admitted that between
Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2008, he submitted 25
fraudulent applications for reimbursement
to the PCBSS. On each occasion, Martinez falsely
claimed that he was eligible for the full
$2,246 because he had not received more than
$1,570 from any representative of the deceased.
PCBSS referred the investigation to the Division
of Criminal Justice. The Division of Criminal
Justice determined that to support the fraudulent
claims, Martinez submitted false statements
on behalf of family representatives without
their knowledge and forged their signatures
on documents. He received reimbursement for
the maximum amount of $2,246, when he had
actually accepted payments of more than $1,570
from representatives of the deceased. As a
result, Martinez illegally collected $56,150
to which he was not entitled.
Detective
Michael J. Fallon and Deputy Attorneys General
Janet Bosi and Betty Rodriguez conducted and
coordinated the investigation. Deputy Attorney
General Rodriguez represented the Division
of Criminal Justice at the sentencing.
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