TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced the indictment of the former chief
operating officer of a Morristown-based freight
railway company and a former project manager
for the company on charges that they defrauded
the New Jersey Department of Transportation
(DOT) of more than $800,000 by submitting
false claims for grant funds in connection
with railway improvement projects.
The
Division of Criminal Justice obtained a
five-count state grand jury indictment yesterday
afternoon charging Gordon Fuller, 71, of
Plainfield, the former chief operating officer
of the Morristown and Erie Railway, Inc.
(M&E), and a former project manager,
Willard Phillips, 60, of Langhorne, Pa.,
with conspiracy (2nd degree), misconduct
by a corporate official (2nd degree), theft
by deception (2nd degree), submitting false
contract payment claims (2nd degree), and
tampering with public records (3rd degree).
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of
five to 10 years in state prison.
The
indictment is the result of an investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau. The investigation previously led
to the indictment of a suspended DOT engineer,
Gaudner B. Metellus, and an alleged accomplice
on charges they solicited M&E to fraudulently
inflate the cost of a state-funded rail
project by over $700,000 and pay them $325,000
in bribes. M&E alerted the state to
that alleged fraud after Fuller was terminated
by the company in 2010.
“We
charge that this former railway company
executive exploited a state grant program
that was designed to keep our freight rail
network strong in New Jersey, stealing over
$800,000 by collecting grant funds for work
that was never performed,” said Attorney
General Chiesa. “We will continue
to crack down on individuals who fraudulently
enrich themselves or their companies at
the expense of government programs.”
“This
is a good example of an investigation in
which our efforts to uncover and prosecute
one crime led to new leads, which we diligently
pursued to charge another crime,”
said Director Taylor. “I commend our
detectives and attorneys for leaving no
stone unturned.”
In
connection with the new indictment, it is
alleged that between January 2003 and August
2010, Fuller, in his role as chief operating
officer, had M&E submit invoices to
create and reinforce the false impression
that certain work had been completed on
four railroad improvement projects for which
M&E received DOT grant funding. In fact,
very little of the work had been performed.
It is alleged that M&E fraudulently
received a total of approximately $804,090
in grant funds from the DOT as a result
of the false claims. Phillips allegedly
participated in the fraud by submitting
false claims while serving as project manager
for M&E between 2003 and 2005.
Deputy
Attorney General Perry Primavera presented
the indictment to the state grand jury for
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau. The investigation was conducted
by Detective Sgt. David Salzmann, Detective
Michael Behar, Deputy Attorney General Primavera
and Deputy Attorney General Anthony A. Picione,
Deputy Chief of the Corruption Bureau.
The
New Jersey DOT implemented the New Jersey
State Rail Freight Assistance Plan in 1975
in an effort to preserve and improve the
railway freight transportation network in
the state. Under the program, rail lines
doing business in New Jersey apply for funding
to assist in various rehabilitation projects.
Eligible projects receive state grants covering
70 to 90 percent of the total project cost,
with the balance to be paid by the rail
line.
M&E,
which operates in New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Maine, received approval in 2003 for
the four projects that are at issue in the
indictment. They involved proposed rehabilitation
and upgrading of three sections of track
in Kenville and Cedar Knolls – with
related improvements such as security fencing
and lighting – and replacement of
a railway bridge span over the Passaic River
in East Hanover. The grant program requires
that no funds be disbursed until all work
has been completed for a particular portion
of a project. It is alleged that Fuller
and Phillips knew of that requirement, but
fraudulently submitted invoices for a total
of $1,319,417 worth of work, creating the
false impression the work was completed,
when in fact only $52,745 worth of work
was completed. As a result, M&E received
$804,090 in grant funds it was not entitled
to receive.
Second-degree
crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years
in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000,
while third-degree crimes carry a sentence
of three to five years in prison and a fine
of up to $15,000. The indictment is merely
an accusation and the defendants are presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
The
indictment was handed up to Superior Court
Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County,
who assigned it to Morris County, where
the defendants will be ordered to appear
in court at a later date to answer the charges.
The indictment is posted with this release
at www.njpublicsafety.com.
Fuller
is also named in a Nov. 1, 2011 indictment
obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice
charging him with conspiracy, insurance
fraud and theft by deception, all in the
second degree, as well as fourth-degree
falsifying or tampering with records. That
indictment alleges that Fuller fraudulently
inflated an insurance claim by more than
$75,000 in connection with damage to a railroad
switch on M&E rail lines in Morristown
caused by a truck accident in 2005. Those
charges are pending.
The
June 29, 2011 indictment charging Metellus,
32, of Philadelphia, Pa., a senior engineer
for DOT, and his alleged accomplice Ernest
J. Dubose, 31, of Boston, Mass., alleges
that they solicited representatives of M&E
to engage in a scheme to fraudulently inflate
the cost of a project to rehabilitate the
Eagle Rock Railroad Bridge in Roseland from
about $693,000 to $1,421,510 in connection
with an application under the state grant
program.
Metellus
and Dubose allegedly proposed that the company
submit false invoices for rehabilitation
work that would never be performed, and
demanded that the company split the state
grant funds with them. Metellus was responsible
for confirming the need for repair work
and inspecting completed work in connection
with the grant program. Officials of M&E
alerted the Division of Criminal Justice
and cooperated in the state’s investigation.
The two men were originally arrested and
charged on Sept. 23, 2010. The charges in
that indictment are also pending.
Attorney
General Chiesa and Director Taylor noted
that the Division of Criminal Justice 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.