Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Contact
spacer
Back to News Releases
OAG Home Attorney General's Biography
Attorney General's Biography
spacer spacer spacer
   
 
spacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
For Immediate Release: For Further Information:
July 26, 2016

Office of The Attorney General
- Christopher S. Porrino, Acting Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Elie Honig, Director
Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
spacer
Citizen Inquiries-
609-984-5828
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
Three Ex-Supervisors at Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission Sentenced to Prison/Jail for Using On-Duty Agency Employees for Personal Tasks
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
click image to enlargespacerclick image to enlarge
spacer
click image to enlargespacerclick image to enlarge
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that three former supervisors at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) were sentenced to state prison or jail today for having subordinate employees at the agency complete renovations and tasks at private homes while on duty. A fourth supervisor was sentenced to a term of probation.

The following defendants were sentenced today to terms of incarceration by Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark in Paterson. All three are permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey.

  1. Kevin Keogh, 50, of Roseland, the former superintendent for special services at the PVSC, was sentenced to five years in state prison. He pleaded guilty on June 21, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy and two counts of second-degree official misconduct for having on-duty PVSC employees complete renovations at his home and run numerous personal errands for him.
  1. Paul Bazela, 49, of Northvale, the former foreman of the PVSC carpenter’s shop, was sentenced to three years in prison. He pleaded guilty on March 17, 2016 to third-degree theft by unlawful taking for using his authority as foreman to have on-duty PVSC employees perform work at Keogh’s home. He also was convicted at trial in March 2014 of conspiracy, official misconduct and pattern of official misconduct, all in the third-degree, and fourth-degree theft by unlawful taking for having PVSC employees perform personal jobs for co-defendant Anthony Ardis.
  1. Anthony Ardis, 62, of Paterson, a former PVSC commissioner, was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail and one year of probation. He pleaded guilty on June 1, 2016 to a charge of third-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct. In addition to serving as a PVSC commissioner, Ardis later was clerk to the board of commissioners, director of management services, and chief ethics officer for the PVSC. Ardis was convicted at trial on the same charges as Bazela in March 2014 but his convictions were overturned on appeal.

In addition, Judge Clark today sentenced Chester Mazza, 75, of Totowa, former assistant superintendent for special services for the PVSC, to one year of probation. Mazza pleaded guilty in May 2012 to fourth-degree theft by unlawful taking, admitting that he had subordinate employees perform work at his home, including installation of a vent or fan in his roof and repairs to a stone wall in his front yard.

“These men arrogantly abused their positions and exploited public workers, vehicles and equipment for their selfish purposes, all at the expense of the taxpayers who fund this state agency,” said Acting Attorney General Porrino. “The sentences imposed today demonstrate our resolve to hold public officials accountable if they abuse their power.”
“These defendants were entrusted with the management of public employees and resources, and they betrayed that trust by using them for personal gain,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to protect public assets by aggressively investigating and prosecuting corrupt officials like these.”

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Manis, who is Deputy Bureau Chief, and Deputy Attorney General Peter J. Baker handled the sentencing hearings for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Manis was the lead prosecutor on the case. He tried Bazela and Ardis with Assistant Attorney General Heather Taylor. The charges stem from an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau North Squad.

The PVSC is a state agency responsible for managing and regulating collection and disposal of wastewater generated in a four-county area along the Passaic Valley River Basin, encompassing parts of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.

Keogh, Ardis and Mazza were immediately terminated from their positions at the PVSC following their arrests in February 2011. Bazela’s employment at the PVSC also was terminated in 2011.

In pleading guilty, Keogh admitted that between March 2006 and April 2007, he conspired to have PVSC employees perform work at his residence during their regular shifts for the agency. Bazela admitted in connection with his plea that, as foreman, he had carpenters and other skilled employees perform work at Keogh’s home, including installing windows in bedrooms, replacing kitchen cabinet doors and installing lattice-type material under a deck. They used agency vehicles, tools and equipment. PVSC employees built, fit and finished the kitchen cabinet doors at the PVSC facility before installing them at Keogh’s home.

Keogh further admitted that he had PVSC employees perform numerous personal errands for him while on agency time. The investigation determined that the errands included putting up holiday decorations at his home and picking up landscaping items and other personal supplies from Home Depot and Lowe’s, including plants, fertilizer, a propane tank, decorative stone and pool supplies, and delivering them to his home. Keogh also admitted that in 2005, he had mechanics from the PVSC’s vehicle maintenance department replace the motor in the pump for his swimming pool.

Bazela’s trial conviction related to a separate indictment charging that he used his authority as foreman to have on-duty PVSC employees perform personal work on behalf of Ardis. In pleading guilty, Ardis admitted that he conspired with Bazela to have carpenters and other skilled workers go to the homes of Ardis’ mother and girlfriend to complete repairs and improvements while on-duty for the PVSC. They used agency vehicles, tools and equipment. Bazela accompanied the workers in some instances to supervise and assist with the projects. The work performed for Ardis included tearing down sheet rock in the garage of Ardis’ mother, installing a microwave and small wood panels in the mother’s kitchen, and installing air conditioning units at the home of Ardis’ girlfriend.

Acting Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has established a confidential, toll-free tip line 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 webpage at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.

Defense Attorneys:
Kevin Keogh – James V. Pomaco, The Law Offices of James V. Pomaco, Esq.
Paul Bazela – Peter R. Willis, Peter R. Willis, Esq., LLP
Anthony Ardis – Gregory Aprile, Gregory Aprile, Attorney-at-Law
Chester Mazza – George J. Abdy, Law Offices of Abdy & Kane, P.C.

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
 
News Index Page I top
 
Executive Assistant Attorney General
Attorney General's Message Ask the Attorney General
Contact OAG About OAG
OAG News OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Library Employment
OAG Grants Proposed Rules
OAG History OAG Services A-Z
Statutes
OAG Agencies / Programs / Units
Other News Pages Otras Noticias en Español Division of NJ State Police Division of Law News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Gaming Enforcement News
NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925
OAG Home OAG Home NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Graphic Click to enlarge chart Click to enlarge map Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click on image to enlarge... Click on image to enlarge... Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge... Click to enlarge... click image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlargeclick image to enlarge click image to enlarge click image to enlargeclick image to enlarge click image to enlarge