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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced that a former clerk-typist for the
state Division of Consumer Affairs was sentenced
today for stealing unauthorized fees that
he collected from home improvement contractors
seeking to register their businesses.
According
to Director Gramiccioni, Ronald Thomas, 42,
of New York City, was sentenced to five years
of probation by Superior Court Judge Robert
H. Gardner in Essex County. On Feb. 4, Thomas
was convicted at trial of third-degree official
misconduct and fourth-degree theft by deception.
Deputy
Attorney General Perry Primavera prosecuted
the case and handled today’s sentencing
for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau.
Thomas
stole approximately $180 by telling the owners
or operators of five home improvement contracting
businesses that they needed to make cash payments
if they wanted to expedite the process of
obtaining certification for their businesses
from the Division of Consumer Affairs as required
by state law. Thomas was not authorized to
collect any payments for registering such
businesses and used the cash for his own purposes.
The amount he took for each certification
varied but averaged approximately $40.
The
Division of Consumer Affairs learned of the
alleged conduct in April 2006 when a contractor
who had not received a registration certificate
in the mail advised another employee at Consumer
Affairs about making a $45 payment to Thomas.
Thomas was fired from his job in June 2006
after the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted
a preliminary investigation.
The
investigation was handled by investigators
of the Division of Consumer Affairs and the
Division of Criminal Justice. Detective Scott
Donlan and Civil Investigator Ruben Contreras
conducted the investigation for the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.
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