TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that a Little Egg Harbor fire
commissioner pleaded guilty today to official
misconduct for stealing a commission truck.
According
to Director Paw, Edward A. “Tony”
Kluver, 48, a commissioner for the Little
Egg Harbor Township Fire District No. 2
and former chief of the Mystic Island Volunteer
Fire Company, pleaded guilty today to a
single charge of second-degree official
misconduct before Superior Court Judge James
N. Citta in Ocean County. Under the plea
agreement, the state will recommend that
Kluver be sentenced to three years in state
prison. He must forfeit his position as
a commissioner and will be permanently barred
from holding public office in New Jersey.
On
Oct. 1, another Fire District No. 2 commissioner
and former member of the Mystic Island Volunteer
Fire Company, Leroy Kaufman, 66, pleaded
guilty to third-degree theft in this case.
An
investigation by the Little Egg Harbor Police
Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s
Office determined that in early 2002, Kluver
and Kaufman used their official positions
as commissioners to sign over to each other
two trucks that were owned by the fire district.
In
pleading guilty, Kluver admitted that he
took title to a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup
truck owned by the fire district. Similarly,
Kaufman admitted when he pleaded guilty
last month that he took title to a 1993
Chevrolet Blazer owned by the fire district.
Each man re-registered the truck in his
name through the Motor Vehicle Commission,
claiming he paid $250 for it. In fact, no
payment was made for either truck. The truck
Kluver stole was worth more than $10,000.
Attorney
General Milgram credited the Little Egg
Harbor Police Department and Ocean County
Prosecutor’s Office with investigating
the case. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s
Office obtained a county grand jury indictment
charging the two men in December 2006. The
case was subsequently transferred to the
Attorney General’s Office. Deputy
Attorney General Erik Daab is handling the
case for the Division of Criminal Justice
- Corruption Bureau.
Both
Kluver and Kaufman are scheduled to be sentenced
by Judge Citta on Nov. 30.
In
an unrelated case, the Division of Criminal
Justice obtained a state grand jury indictment
in July charging a third former commissioner
for Fire District No. 2, Woodrow Nelson
Jr., 50, with second-degree official misconduct,
third-degree theft and third-degree passing
bad checks for allegedly stealing $1,640
in proceeds of raffle tickets meant to benefit
the Mystic Island Volunteer Fire Company
and writing a bad check to the fire company
for the proceeds. The indictment is merely
an accusation and the defendant is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
Attorney
General Milgram and Director Paw noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice - Corruption
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.
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