Corea, 48, of Hoboken, was
sentenced to seven years in state prison,
including three years of parole ineligibility,
by Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson
Jr. in Ocean County. He was ordered to pay
$300,000 in restitution to the City of Hoboken
and will be permanently barred from public
employment in New Jersey. Corea pleaded
guilty on Dec. 16, 2011 to a second-degree
charge of official misconduct, which was
contained in a 2009 state grand jury indictment.
The indictment stemmed from an investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice and
the New Jersey State Police.
“Government officials
have a duty to act with complete honesty,
integrity and care in dealing with public
funds, but Corea corruptly betrayed that
duty and the public’s trust, permitting
a crooked contractor to literally make off
with bags of cash belonging to the City
of Hoboken,” said Attorney General
Chiesa. “This lengthy prison sentence
reflects a policy of zero tolerance when
it comes to public officials who abuse their
positions and break the law in New Jersey.”
“This was a very costly
breach of public trust,” said Stephen
J. Taylor, Director of the Division of Criminal
Justice. “The Division of Criminal
Justice will continue to work with the State
Police and other agencies to expose and
convict those who engage in official misconduct.”
Deputy Attorney General
Jeffrey J. Manis prosecuted the case and
handled the sentencing for the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.
In pleading guilty, Corea
admitted, among other things, that as director
of the Hoboken Parking Utility, he steered
three separate no-bid contracts to United
Textile Fabricators to collect, count and
manage the coins from the city’s parking
meters. He admitted that he made false statements
to the city council about the qualifications
and experience of the company, which is
a coin-operated arcade game manufacturer.
He further admitted that he came to believe
that United Textile and its owner, Brian
A. Petaccio, 52, of Toms River, had stolen
a substantial amount of the city’s
parking revenues, but did not take any steps
to stop the thefts or notify the city.
Petaccio pleaded guilty
on Sept. 30, 2009 to an accusation charging
him with second-degree theft by unlawful
taking for stealing more than $1.1 million
in coins from Hoboken’s parking meters
between June 2005 and April 2008. He faces
up to seven years in prison under his plea
agreement and also must pay $300,000 in
restitution to the City of Hoboken. After
an audit in 2007 uncovered parking revenue
shortfalls, Petaccio and his company returned
approximately $575,000 to the city. However,
Petaccio admitted, in pleading guilty, that
he diverted an additional $600,000 that
was not reported to the city. His sentencing
is scheduled for April 20.
The investigation was conducted
by Detective Sgt. Peter Layng of the State
Police Official Corruption Bureau North
Unit, Sgt. Lisa Shea of the Division of
Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau, Deputy
Attorney General Manis, Deputy Attorney
General Perry Primavera and Administrative
Analyst Kathleen Ratliff.