TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced today that a former fiscal analyst
for the New Jersey Department of Labor and
Workforce Development has pleaded guilty to
stealing approximately $18,525 in state funds
by issuing unauthorized government checks.
Sharon
Caldwell, 58, of Trenton, pleaded guilty
yesterday (Feb. 7) to third-degree theft
by deception before Superior Court Judge
Thomas M. Brown in Mercer County. The charge
was contained in an Oct. 5, 2011 state grand
jury indictment.
Judge
Brown scheduled sentencing for April 18.
Under the plea agreement, the Division of
Criminal Justice will recommend that Caldwell
be sentenced to 364 days in jail as a condition
of five years of probation. Caldwell will
also forfeit any future public employment
and to pay full restitution.
In
her former position as a fiscal analyst
for the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development, Caldwell had responsibility
for the disbursement of checks from a checking
account for the State’s Disability
Insurance program. In pleading guilty, Caldwell
admitted that she issued three checks –
a check for $8,000 dated Jan. 28, 2009,
one for $3,525.85 dated Aug. 15, 2009, and
one for $7,000 dated July 23, 2010 and converted
the money for her personal use. An investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice determined
that Caldwell used the money for rent payments
to her landlord.
The
unauthorized checks were discovered in 2010
by the Office of Internal Audit of the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development, which
referred the case to the Division of Criminal
Justice. Deputy Attorneys General Jim Ruberton
and Valerie Noto were assigned to the investigation.
Deputy Attorney General Noto represented
the Division of Criminal Justice at the
guilty plea hearing.
Attorney
General Chiesa and Criminal Justice Director
Stephen J. 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.
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