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TRENTON – Attorney
General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice
Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that
a former employee of the Essex County Division
of Welfare was sentenced today for falsifying
employment records in order to qualify for
a $357,050 loan to buy a home in Newark.
According to Director Taylor,
Ijeoma Okoh, 32, of Newark, was sentenced
to two years of probation by Superior Court
Judge Michael L. Ravin in Essex County.
Okoh pleaded guilty on Nov. 19 to an accusation
charging her with issuing a false financial
statement, a third-degree crime. Under the
plea agreement, she is required to forfeit
all interest in the house she purchased,
which will revert to the mortgage lender.
Okoh was also required to forfeit her job
and will be permanently barred from public
employment in New Jersey. Under New Jersey
law, there is a presumption against jail
or prison time if a defendant is sentenced
for a third-degree crime and has no prior
felony record.
In pleading guilty, Okoh
admitted that she submitted fraudulent documentation
regarding her employment and salary in order
to deceive Bank of America (BOA) into providing
her with a $357,050 mortgage loan, which
she used to purchase a property on Sixth
Avenue in Newark. The case was investigated
by the Essex County Inspector General’s
Office and the Division of Criminal Justice.
Deputy Attorney General Mark Ondris represented
the state at the sentencing.
The investigation revealed
that in May 2009, Okoh filed a verification
of employment form with BOA that correctly
stated that she earned $47,562 as a family
services worker for the Essex County Division
of Welfare. However, the following day,
Okoh filed a new, fraudulent form with BOA,
purportedly signed by an actual deputy director
in the Division of Welfare, indicating that
Okoh’s salary was $63,375 and that
she was a family service supervisor. Okoh
also submitted a fraudulent letter on county
letterhead purportedly signed by the deputy
director stating that the first form was
incorrect because Okoh had recently been
promoted and the county “systems”
were not updated. The deputy director’s
signature was forged on the documents. Okoh
also filed a fraudulent direct deposit slip
reflecting the higher salary. Okoh listed
her own work number as the deputy director’s
number on the forms, and when a detective
called saying he was from BOA, she impersonated
the deputy director and verified the false
information.
Attorney General Dow thanked
Essex County Inspector General Dominick
Scaglione and Investigator Michael McGaughran
of his office for their investigation and
referral. They were assisted by Investigator
Edgar Gonzalez of the Essex County Division
of Welfare Office of Fraud Prevention &
Investigations, Assistant Special Agent
in Charge Jeanne Daumen of the Newark, N.J.,
Office of Inspector General - U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, the Essex
County Division of Welfare Office of the
Director, and the Essex County Department
of Citizen Services Office of the Director.
Deputy Attorney General Ondris and Lt. Ken
White handled the case for the Division
of Criminal Justice.
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