|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that former Middlesex County Sheriff
Joseph C. Spicuzzo and two men who worked
under him in the sheriff’s office
were indicted today by a state grand jury
on charges they conspired in a jobs-for-cash
scheme in which Spicuzzo collected approximately
$112,000 in bribes from individuals seeking
positions or promotions in the sheriff’s
office.
According
to Director Taylor, the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Bureau obtained an 11-count
indictment charging Spicuzzo, 66, of Helmetta,
Darrin P. DiBiasi, 43, of Monmouth Junction,
who is a former Middlesex County sheriff’s
investigator, and Paul A. Lucarelli, 46,
of South River, a suspended Middlesex County
sheriff’s officer. The three men are
charged with various counts of conspiracy,
official misconduct and bribery, all second-degree
offenses. Spicuzzo is also charged with
second-degree pattern of official misconduct.
All of the charges carry a maximum sentence
of 10 years in state prison, and certain
charges against each defendant carry a mandatory
minimum term of five years in prison without
possibility of parole.
The
charges stem from an investigation by the
New Jersey State Police Official Corruption
Bureau and the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau. Deputy Attorney General
Vincent J. Militello presented the case
to the state grand jury for the Division
of Criminal Justice.
“This
indictment demonstrates that nobody is above
the law in New Jersey, and those who hold
high office will be held accountable if
they betray the public’s trust,”
said Attorney General Dow. “It is
an important step in our prosecution of
Spicuzzo and his alleged accomplices.”
“Most
members of law enforcement consider their
badge and honor sacred, but we allege that
Spicuzzo put badges and honor up for sale
in the Middlesex County Sheriff’s
Office.” said Director Taylor. “We
allege that this corrupt jobs-for-cash scheme
continued for over a decade.”
“It
is always disappointing when we uncover
corruption in law enforcement – much
more so when it reaches to the very top
of an agency,” said State Police Superintendent
Colonel Rick Fuentes. “Nevertheless,
our Official Corruption Bureau remains tireless
in their pursuit of illegal activity by
those who are supposed to be serving the
public.”
The
indictment alleges that between March 1996
and November 2008, while serving as county
sheriff, Spicuzzo demanded that eight 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. The state’s
investigation revealed that young applicants
who were trying to obtain law enforcement
positions as investigators were forced to
use all sources of funding available to
them to pay the alleged bribes.
It
is alleged that, directly or indirectly,
Spicuzzo solicited and accepted individual
bribes ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 from
seven individuals seeking to be hired as
investigators. Those individuals include
DiBiasi, who allegedly paid a $5,000 bribe
prior to being hired in 1999. It is alleged
that Spicuzzo also took two bribes from
a sheriff’s officer in the amounts
of $7,000 and $5,000 in return for two promotions
within the sheriff’s office between
2007 and 2008. It is alleged that each person
who paid a bribe was given the promised
position.
The
indictment alleges that DiBiasi and Lucarelli
conspired with Spicuzzo in the jobs-for-cash
scheme, which continued throughout the period
covered by the indictment. It is alleged
that DiBiasi collected three bribes from
individuals seeking investigator positions
and delivered them to Spicuzzo between 2002
and 2005, including two bribes of approximately
$12,500 and one bribe of approximately $10,000.
It is alleged that Lucarelli collected a
bribe of approximately $25,000 from an individual
seeking an investigator position and delivered
it to Spicuzzo in 2008.
Spicuzzo
was initially arrested by State Police detectives
on March 7. Lucarelli was arrested in on
March 14, and DiBiasi was arrested on July
7. All three were released without posting
bail.
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.
Lucarelli
was suspended without pay from his position
as a sheriff’s officer following his
arrest. DiBiasi retired from his job as
a sheriff’s investigator in June of
this year, prior to his arrest.
The
investigation was conducted by Detective
Sergeant First Class Garrett Duffy, Detective
Brian Murphy, Acting Detective Sgt. Lisa
King and other members of the State Police
Official Corruption Bureau, under the supervision
of Capt. Thomas T. Goletz, and by Deputy
Attorney General Militello, under the supervision
of Deputy Attorney General Christine Hoffman,
Chief of the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau. Deputy Attorney General
Mark Ondris is also assigned to the case.
Under
state law, second-degree crimes carry a
maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison
and a criminal fine of $150,000. Each defendant
could potentially face a mandatory minimum
sentence of five years in prison without
parole because each is accused in certain
counts of the indictment of conduct that
occurred after April 14, 2007, the effective
date for New Jersey’s statutory sentencing
enhancements for public corruption.
Spicuzzo
is charged with one count of conspiracy,
three counts of official misconduct, one
count of pattern of official misconduct,
and six counts of bribery. DiBiasi is charged
with one count of conspiracy, three counts
of official misconduct, and one count of
bribery. Lucarelli is charged one count
of conspiracy, three counts of official
misconduct, and one count of bribery.
The
indictment is posted with this release at
www.njpublicsafety.com.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty. The indictment was handed up to
Superior Court Judge Gerald J. Council in
Mercer County, who assigned it to Monmouth
County, where the defendants will be ordered
to appear for arraignment on the charges.
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 will remain confidential.
### |
