|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that two former administrators
of the Old Bridge Township Housing Authority
were sentenced to state prison today for
stealing $91,000 from two publicly funded
rental assistance programs.
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, were each sentenced to
three years in prison by Superior Court
Judge Frederick P. DeVesa in Middlesex County.
The
women were ordered to pay full restitution
to the rental assistance programs and are
barred from ever holding public employment
in New Jersey. Each woman pleaded guilty
Dec. 15 to a charge of second-degree official
misconduct. The women were charged in separate
indictments obtained by the Division of
Criminal Justice on June 21, 2006.
“Time
after time, these two officials issued checks
to themselves from this rental assistance
program, stealing funds that were supposed
to help low-income families,” said
Attorney General Rabner. “Prison is
the appropriate punishment.”
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.” The investigation
revealed 116 checks that went to Ms. Middleton,
and 15 checks that went to Ms. Portlock.
Directors
of both housing authorities alerted the
Old Bridge Police Department in March 2006
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 2006 because of the theft allegations.
Middleton was terminated from her job at
the Old Bridge Township Housing Authority
in March 2006.
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 site at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Tipline or Web site will
remain confidential.
#
# #
|
