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TRENTON – Attorney
General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice
Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that
former Morris County Tax Commissioner Anthony
Crecco was sentenced to prison today for
unlawfully voting to award a county contract
to a software company with which he had
personal dealings and fraudulently underpaying
sales tax on a Mercedes he bought from the
CEO of that company. A co-defendant was
also sentenced today.
According
to Director Taylor, Crecco, 64, of East
Hanover, was sentenced to three years in
state prison by Superior Court Judge Thomas
V. Manahan in Morris County. Crecco pleaded
guilty on Oct. 20, 2011 to second-degree
official misconduct and third-degree failure
to pay sales tax. He is permanently barred
from public employment in New Jersey under
the plea agreement. He was ordered to pay
$882 in sales tax to the Division of Motor
Vehicles and a $500 fine.
In addition, Crecco agreed
under the plea agreement to pay restitution
to the Florham Park-Fairfield Elks Lodge
for funds that he and co-defendant misappropriated
from the Elks Lodge to pay personal gambling
debts. The state’s investigation revealed
that they diverted $278,650 from the Elks
Lodge to gamble in Atlantic City. Both men
were members of the lodge, and was treasurer at the time.
Co-defendant was sentenced today to two years of probation by Superior Court Judge David H. Ironson in Morris County. pleaded guilty on June 24, 2009 to a charge of theft by unlawful taking, admitting that he conspired with Crecco to steal from the Elks. Crecco did not admit to stealing from the Elks, but agreed to be held jointly and severally liable with for paying back the remaining $35,460 that the two men had not already repaid at the time of Crecco’s plea. has since repaid that balance.
“Public officials
have a strict duty to avoid conflicts of
interest,” said Attorney General Dow.
“In this case, Mr. Crecco clearly
violated his duty and the law by mixing
personal and public business in a way that
undermined the integrity of his official
decisions. It is particularly troubling
that as a tax commissioner, he pleaded guilty
to a criminal charge of failure to pay sales
tax.”
“This case should
send a clear message that we will not tolerate
public officials who break the law to advance
their own interests or the interests of
their friends,” said Director Taylor.
“There is no room in government for
this type of cronyism.”
Deputy Attorney General
Robert Czepiel Jr. prosecuted the case and
represented the state at today’s sentencing
hearing. He was assisted by Deputy Attorney
General Paul Salvatoriello. The charges
were contained in an April 29, 2009 indictment
that stemmed from an investigation by the
New Jersey State Police Official Corruption
Bureau and the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau.
In pleading guilty to official
misconduct, Crecco admitted that he improperly
voted to award a contract to software vendor
Vital Communications, despite personal connections
to the company and its chief executive officer.
A committee appointed by the county tax
administrator to evaluate contractors voted
in December 2004 to recommend that the county
accept a bid by Vital to supply software
to the tax board for $118,560. The county
freeholders approved the bid.
As a member of the evaluation
committee, Crecco had a duty to recuse himself
from that request for proposals because
he was in the process of negotiating with
Vital’s CEO to buy a Mercedes from
him. Crecco was a friend of the CEO and
had previously golfed with him and attended
his wedding in Las Vegas. Crecco, who was
president of the Tax Board at the time,
admitted that he violated his duty by participating
in the recommendation. He voted for Vital,
giving its bid a perfect score.
In pleading guilty to failure
to pay sales tax, Crecco admitted that he
deliberately failed to pay the full sales
tax due on his purchase of a car from Vital’s
CEO. Crecco paid the CEO $28,700 in January
2005 to purchase a 1998 Mercedes Benz SL
600. However, in registering the car with
the Motor Vehicle Commission, Crecco reported
that he purchased the car for $14,000. As
a result, Crecco paid $840 in sales tax
to the state when he actually owed $1,722.
He thereby unlawfully evaded $882 in sales
tax.
The remaining counts in
the indictment were dismissed. Crecco served
on the Tax Board until May 2009. He was
not reappointed to the board following his
indictment.
The investigation was conducted
and coordinated by Detective Deniele DeBoer,
Detective Sgt. 1st Class Bryant C. Hoar,
Detective Sgt. Geoffrey P. Forker and Detective
Sgt. Myles Cappiello of the New Jersey State
Police Official Corruption Bureau, and Analyst
Allison Callery and Deputy Attorney General
Czepiel of the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau.
Attorney
General Dow and Director Taylor noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau has established a toll-free Corruption
Tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for
the public to report corruption, financial
crime and other illegal activities. Additionally,
the public can log on to the Division of
Criminal Justice Web page at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Tipline or Web page
will remain confidential.
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