TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that a former fiscal analyst for
the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce
Development was sentenced today for stealing
approximately $18,525 in state funds by issuing
unauthorized government checks.
Sharon
Caldwell, 58, of Trenton, was sentenced
by Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Brown
in Mercer County to 364 days in county jail
as a condition of four years of probation.
Caldwell was also ordered to serve 40 hours
of community service. Judge Brown suspended
Caldwell’s jail sentence pending successful
completion of the terms of probation. Caldwell
will also forfeit any future public employment
and will be ordered to pay full restitution.
The sentence was based on Caldwell’s
guilty plea on Feb. 7 to third-degree theft
by deception. The charge was contained in
an Oct. 5, 2011 state grand jury indictment.
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
sentencing.
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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