|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that Virginia Pagan, the former
Administrator of the Jersey City Municipal
Court, pleaded guilty today to official
misconduct for fixing parking tickets.
According
to Director Taylor, Pagan, 55, of Jersey
City, pleaded guilty today to second-degree
official misconduct before Superior Court
Judge Harry G. Carroll in Bergen County.
That charge was contained in a July 14,
2008 state grand jury indictment obtained
by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau.
Under
the plea agreement, the state will recommend
that she be sentenced to three years in
state prison. Pagan resigned from her court
position in September 2007 after her alleged
misconduct came to light. She will be permanently
barred from public employment in New Jersey.
In
pleading guilty, Pagan admitted that between
Nov. 9, 1999 and April 1, 2007, she used
her official position to access the court’s
computer record system and make entries
dismissing 215 parking tickets, carrying
potential fines in excess of $5,000, which
had been issued to her and her daughter.
Under the plea agreement, Pagan must pay
full restitution for the fines, penalties
and costs associated with the dismissed
tickets.
“Ms.
Pagan tried to put herself above the law
by dismissing hundreds of parking tickets
issued to her and her daughter, rather than
paying them like everyone else,” said
Attorney General Dow. “This guilty
plea sends a powerful message that no one
is above the law.”
“The
courts must stand for fairness and justice,”
said Director Taylor. “There is no
room in our judicial system for this type
of illegal, self-serving conduct by court
officials.”
Deputy
Attorney General Richard Queen took the
guilty plea for the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Bureau. Judge Carroll
scheduled sentencing for Pagan for Aug.
20.
On
June 4, Wanda Molina, 51, of Jersey City,
the former Chief Judge of the Jersey City
Municipal Court, pleaded guilty before Judge
Carroll to tampering with public records
or information, a third-degree offense,
and falsifying records, a fourth-degree
offense. Those charges were contained in
a Dec. 11, 2008 state grand jury indictment.
In
pleading guilty, Molina admitted that between
October 30, 2006 and April 2, 2007, she
took judicial action to dismiss eight parking
tickets that were issued to a close personal
companion. The Court Rules and the Code
of Judicial Conduct strictly prohibit judges
from hearing cases if they have any personal
interest in them or if anyone close to them
does. She admitted that she wrote the word
“emergency” on three of the
tickets, falsely indicating that there were
compelling circumstances to justify the
illegal parking, when in fact there were
not. In connection with her plea, Molina
will pay restitution in the amount of the
dismissed tickets.
The
state will recommend that Molina receive
a sentence of probation conditioned on her
serving up to 364 days in the county jail.
Molina resigned from her judgeship on Sept.
21, 2007 in connection with this case, and
she will be permanently barred from public
employment in New Jersey. She is scheduled
to be sentenced by Judge Carroll on Aug.
27.
Hudson
County Assignment Judge Maurice J. Gallipoli
initially investigated allegations regarding
irregularities in the disposition of tickets
in Jersey City Municipal Court. He referred
the matter to the Attorney General’s
Office.
The
case was investigated by Detective Lisa
Cawley and Sgt. Lisa A. Shea of the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Deputy
Attorney General Asha Vaghela presented
the cases to the state grand jury.
Attorney
General Dow 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.
### |
