| TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory
A. Paw announced that two former administrators
of the Old Bridge Township Housing Authority
pleaded guilty today to official misconduct
for stealing thousands of dollars from two
publicly funded rental assistance programs.
According
to Director Paw, Frances Portlock, 50, of
Mays Landing, the former director of operations
for the South Amboy Housing Authority, and
Colleen Middleton, 33, of Old Bridge, the
former Section Eight coordinator for the
Old Bridge Township Housing Authority, pleaded
guilty today before Superior Court Judge
Frederick P. DeVesa in Middlesex County.
Each woman pleaded guilty to a single count
of second-degree official misconduct.
Under
the plea agreement, the women face up to
five years in prison and must pay full restitution
to the rental assistance programs. Both
women will be barred from ever holding public
employment in New Jersey. The women were
charged in separate indictments returned
by a state grand jury on June 21. Sentencing
for both defendants is scheduled for February
23.
“These
two defendants are facing prison time because
they shamelessly abused the trust placed
in them as public officials, stealing funds
intended to help low-income families pay
the rent,” said Attorney General Rabner.
“We’re devoting enhanced resources
to root out this type of public corruption.”
“These
two housing authority employees essentially
used the assistance programs they administered
as personal bank accounts,” said Criminal
Justice Director Paw. “Our investigation
revealed no less than 116 checks that went
to Ms. Middleton, and 15 checks that went
to Ms. Portlock.”
Portlock oversaw the Old Bridge rental assistance
programs because the Old Bridge authority
contracted with the South Amboy authority
to run the programs. Portlock supervised
Middleton in Old Bridge. In pleading guilty,
Portlock admitted that she stole approximately
$13,400 between August 2002 and December
2005 from the HOPE Loan Program, a municipally
funded program that provided financial assistance
to Old Bridge residents threatened with
eviction.
Middleton
admitted that she stole approximately $77,570
between January 2002 and March 2006, including
about $47,900 from the HOPE program and
about $29,670 from the federally funded
Section Eight rental assistance program.
Portlock’s
responsibilities included reviewing and
approving checks to be paid out of the rental
assistance program accounts. Checks to recipients
of program funds were stamped with the signatures
of housing officials. In connection with
their official duties, both Middleton and
Portlock had access to checks from the accounts
and the signature stamps. The checks were
made out in the names of the defendants
or to “cash.”
Directors
of both housing authorities alerted the
Old Bridge Police Department in March after
finding evidence that funds had been misappropriated.
The Old Bridge Police ultimately referred
the case to the Division of Criminal Justice.
Portlock
resigned in December 2005 to take a job
as executive director of the Vineland Housing
Authority. She was terminated from that
job in April because of the theft allegations.
Middleton was terminated from her job at
the Old Bridge Township Housing Authority
on March 9.
Deputy
Attorney General Perry Primavera handled
the case for the state. The investigation
was conducted by State Investigator Dino
Dettorre of the Division of Criminal Justice
and Detective Thomas Noble of the Old Bridge
Police Department, with assistance from
the Old Bridge Township Housing Authority
and the South Amboy Housing Authority.
Attorney
General Rabner and Director Paw noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice - Special
Prosecutions Bureau 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 page 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.
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