TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that the former director of the
County Garage in Passaic County was sentenced
to prison today for stealing a large amount
of cash found hidden in a car that was seized
by law enforcement, and stealing an engine
from a second vehicle.
According
Director Taylor, Paolo “Paul”
Mariano, 53, of Wayne, was sentenced to
four years in state prison by Superior Court
Judge Marilyn C. Clark in Passaic County.
Mariano pleaded guilty on March 28 to two
counts of second-degree official misconduct.
The charges stem from an investigation by
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau.
Mariano
was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution.
As a result of his plea, he forfeited his
position as director of the Passaic County
Garage, and he will be permanently barred
from public employment. Deputy Attorney
General Vincent J. Militello prosecuted
the case for the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau and represented the state
at the sentencing.
“Prison
is the appropriate sentence for Mariano,
who shamelessly stole cash and property
that would have been forfeited to fund law
enforcement efforts in Passaic County,”
said Attorney General Dow. “His actions
showed a complete disregard for the law
and for the county he was supposed to serve.”
“This
prison sentence sends a clear message that
government officials who steal from their
agencies and the public will be aggressively
investigated and prosecuted,” said
Director Taylor. “We have zero tolerance
when it comes to official corruption.”
In
pleading guilty, Mariano admitted that he
stole cash totaling approximately $20,000
that was found inside a 2000 Ford Taurus
that was seized during a narcotics investigation
by the Passaic County Drug Task Force in
2004. The car was being repaired for use
as an undercover car in 2005 when county
mechanics found the cash in a hidden compartment.
They found several stacks of $100 bills.
The mechanics told Mariano, who took possession
of the car and cash, directing them not
to report anything. Mariano then had a mechanic
disassemble the car.
Mariano
also admitted that in November 2006, he
directed county mechanics to remove an engine
from a 1995 Toyota 4-Runner that had been
seized by the county. He had the mechanics
place the engine into a 1993 Toyota 4-Runner
that he had given to his girlfriend but
titled in his own name. The stolen engine
was in better condition than the one it
replaced. Mariano sold that car, with the
stolen engine, to an undercover detective
on May 14, 2010 for $2,000.
The
investigation was led by Deputy Attorney
General Vincent J. Militello, Deputy Chief
Paul Castellvi, Detective Scott Donlan,
and Detective Harry Maronpot Jr. They were
assisted by Sgt. David Salzmann and Detectives
Laura Clarke, Ruben Contreras and Nick Olenick.
Attorney
General Dow and Director Taylor 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.
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