|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that Donald R. Codey Jr., former
president and general manager of Freehold
Raceway Park, pleaded guilty today to stealing
$3,045 in raceway promotional vouchers and
assisting two patrons to cash more than
$1.3 million in bad checks at the track.
According
to Director Taylor, Codey, 65, of Orange,
pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge
Thomas F. Scully in Monmouth County to third-degree
theft by unlawful taking for the theft of
vouchers. Codey admitted that he stole 16
“Mystery Vouchers” worth a total
of $3,045. Mystery Vouchers were sent by
Freehold Raceway to track patrons and patrons
of the Favorites off-track wagering site
in Toms River. Each voucher was issued to
be redeemable for a “mystery”
amount, ranging from $2 to $5,000, if taken
to the Favorites site on President’s
Day, Feb. 16, 2009, and used to gamble.
Codey used the vouchers to gamble at Favorites
that day.
Codey
also pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree
issuing bad checks, one for each of the
two patrons he assisted in cashing bad checks.
The charges were contained in accusations
filed by the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau as a result of an investigation
by the New Jersey State Police. The state
will recommend that Codey be sentenced to
up to 364 days in jail as a condition of
a term of probation. Judge Scully scheduled
sentencing for Oct. 22.
“Mr.
Codey had an alliance with these two dishonest
patrons and assisted them in cashing bad
checks, which cost Freehold Raceway $1.3
million dollars,” said Attorney General
Dow. “For that criminal conduct and
the voucher theft, he faces up to a year
in potential jail time and is responsible
with his co-defendants for paying back about
$900,000 which has not been repaid.”
“Mr.
Codey stole promotional vouchers with a
cash value of over $3,000,” said Director
Taylor. “With that theft and his complicity
in cashing over $1 million in bad checks,
he completely betrayed the trust placed
in him as president and general manager
of the raceway.”
The
two patrons Codey assisted, Darryl Thomas,
50, of Newark, and Joseph A. Siragusa, 43,
of Marlboro, pleaded guilty before Judge
Scully on Aug. 10 to accusations charging
each of them with third-degree issuing bad
checks. Thomas admitted that between May
2007 and January 2009, he cashed 218 bad
checks at Freehold Raceway. Siragusa admitted
that between July and December 2008, he
cashed 131 bad checks at the raceway. The
state will recommend that each of those
men also be sentenced to up to 364 days
in jail as a condition of a term of probation.
Thomas’
checks totaled $664,560, and Siragusa’s
checks totaled $654,000. All of those checks
were returned for insufficient funds. Codey
had authorized cash advances and check cashing
privileges for the two patrons. In pleading
guilty, Codey admitted that he authorized
the two men to cash the checks at the raceway,
even though he knew they were issuing checks
against bank accounts that were closed or
had insufficient funds.
Thomas
must pay $349,080 in restitution to FR Park
Racing, L.P., the owner of Freehold Raceway,
and Siragusa must pay $553,660, representing
the total bad checks each man cashed, less
amounts previously paid or credited against
the debts. Under his plea agreement, Codey
is made jointly and severally liable with
Thomas and Siragusa for paying those restitution
amounts.
As
a result of the investigation, a third man,
Darren A. DeLucia, 43, of Hallendale Beach,
Fla., also pleaded guilty on Aug. 10 to
third-degree issuing bad checks for cashing
$38,000 in bad checks at Freehold Raceway
in July and August 2008. The state will
recommend that he also be sentenced to up
to 364 days in jail as a condition of probation.
He must pay full restitution.
Thomas
and DeLucia are scheduled for sentencing
on Oct. 1. Siragusa is scheduled for Oct.
22.
Regarding
the theft of vouchers, the investigation
revealed that Codey was present when a track
employee printed 1,000 Mystery Vouchers.
Codey took possession of the stacks of vouchers
in his office before they were mailed to
patrons of the Toms River off-track wagering
site.
Deputy
Attorney General Perry Primavera is prosecuting
the case and took the guilty pleas for the
Division of Criminal Justice. The charges
are the result of an investigation by the
New Jersey State Police conducted by Detective
Sgt. Geoffrey P. Forker and members of the
State Police Official Corruption North Unit.
Deputy Attorney General Primavera and Analyst
Kathleen Ratliff are assigned to the case
for the Division of Criminal Justice.
In
early 2009, Pennwood Racing Inc., the parent
company of FR Park Racing, conducted an
internal investigation that led to the resignation
of Codey as president and general manager
of Freehold Raceway in February 2009. The
theft of vouchers was initially uncovered
as a result of that internal investigation.
The
bad checks were also discovered by the company
at that time. They were initially investigated
by a private security firm hired by the
company. The company referred the matters
involving the theft of vouchers and bad
checks to the New Jersey Racing Commission,
which referred them to the Division of Criminal
Justice.
The
Division of Criminal Justice has established
a toll-free Corruption Tipline for the public
to confidentially report corruption, financial
crime and other illegal activities: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ.
The public also can confidentially report
suspected wrongdoing online at www.njdcj.org.
### |
