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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced the arrest this morning of a Middlesex
County sheriff’s officer on charges
that he assisted former Sheriff Joseph C.
Spicuzzo in collecting a bribe from an individual
seeking a position in the sheriff’s
office.
According
to Director Taylor, Sheriff’s Officer
Paul Lucarelli, 45, of South River, was
arrested at his home by detectives of the
New Jersey State Police Official Corruption
Bureau. He was charged by summons with conspiracy
to commit official misconduct and conspiracy
to commit bribery, both second-degree offenses.
He was released without posting bail. Lucarelli
has been suspended without pay from his
position as a sheriff’s officer.
It
is alleged that Lucarelli served as an intermediary
by collecting a $25,000 bribe for Spicuzzo
from an individual seeking to be hired as
a sheriff’s investigator. Lucarelli
allegedly collected the cash and delivered
it to Spicuzzo in his county office. Spicuzzo,
65, of Helmetta, surrendered to State Police
detectives on March 7 on second-degree charges
of pattern of official misconduct and bribery.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation
by the New Jersey State Police Official
Corruption Bureau and the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Bureau.
“We
allege that this sheriff’s officer
served as Sheriff Spicuzzo’s bag man,
delivering bribe money to him inside the
Sheriff’s Office,” said Attorney
General Dow. “The charges in this
case are deeply troubling, all the more
so because they involve a law enforcement
agency.”
“We
are vigorously pursuing all leads in this
ongoing investigation into alleged bribery
and corruption in the Middlesex County Sheriff’s
Office under Sheriff Spicuzzo,” said
Director Taylor.
It
is alleged that on two or more occasions
from 2007 to 2008, while serving as county
sheriff, Spicuzzo demanded that different
individuals pay him bribes in return for
him appointing them as new sheriff’s
investigators or promoting them within the
sheriff’s office. Sheriff’s
officers are hired through the civil service
system, but sheriff’s investigators
are appointed by the sheriff. It is alleged
that Spicuzzo solicited and accepted individual
bribes of up to $25,000 from new hires for
investigator positions. He allegedly took
bribes totaling at least $50,000.
Spicuzzo
was Middlesex County Sheriff for nearly
30 years. Following his arrest in this case,
he resigned as Middlesex County Democratic
Party chairman, a position he held for 16
years. He also resigned from his position
as a commissioner on the New Jersey Sports
& Exposition Authority, to which he
was appointed in December 2009.
The
investigation is being conducted by Lieutenant
Thomas T. Goletz, Detective Sergeant First
Class Garrett Duffy and other members of
the State Police Official Corruption Bureau,
under the supervision of Capt. David J.
Dalrymple. The case is being handled for
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau by Deputy Attorney General Vincent
J. Militello and Deputy Attorney General
Christine Hoffman, Chief of the DCJ Corruption
Bureau.
Under
state law, second-degree crimes carry a
maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison
and a criminal fine of $150,000. Each of
the charges carries a mandatory minimum
sentence of five years in prison without
parole under New Jersey’s statutory
sentencing enhancements for public corruption.
The mandatory minimum sentence applies to
certain listed offenses occurring on or
after April 14, 2007 that involve or touch
upon the defendant’s public office.
The
charges are merely accusations and the defendants
are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Because the charges are indictable offenses,
they will be presented to a grand jury for
potential indictment.
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 Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will
remain confidential.
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