|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that Wanda Molina, former Chief
Judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court,
was sentenced to jail today for fixing parking
tickets.
According
to Director Taylor, Molina, 51, of Jersey
City, was sentenced to 364 days in county
jail as a condition of a term of three years
of probation by Superior Court Judge Harry
G. Carroll in Bergen County. The judge also
ordered Molina to perform 500 hours of community
service. On June 4, Molina pleaded guilty
to tampering with public records or information
and falsifying records. Those charges were
contained in a Dec. 11, 2008 state grand
jury indictment obtained by the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau.
In
pleading guilty, Molina admitted that between
October 30, 2006 and April 2, 2007, she
took judicial action to dismiss eight parking
tickets that were issued to a close personal
companion. She admitted that she wrote the
word “emergency” on three of
the tickets, falsely indicating that there
were compelling circumstances to justify
the illegal parking, when in fact there
were not. Molina was ordered to pay restitution
in the amount of the dismissed tickets.
Molina
resigned as chief judge on Sept. 21, 2007
in connection with this case, and she will
be permanently barred from public employment
in New Jersey. Deputy Attorney General Richard
Queen took the guilty plea and represented
the Division of Criminal Justice at the
sentencing.
“Ms.
Molina broke the law and violated a fundamental
rule of judicial conduct prohibiting judges
from adjudicating matters in which they
have a personal interest,” said Attorney
General Dow. “This sentence demonstrates
that no one is above the law.”
“Whenever
there are allegations of criminal conduct
by court officials, it can shake public
confidence in our judicial system,”
said Director Taylor. “By vigorously
prosecuting such cases, we hope to restore
public confidence and prevent misconduct
going forward.”
On
Aug. 20, Virginia Pagan, 55, of Jersey City,
the former Administrator of the Jersey City
Municipal Court, was sentenced to three
years in state prison by Judge Carroll.
She pleaded guilty on June 17 to second-degree
official misconduct, a charge contained
in a July 14, 2008 state grand jury indictment
obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau.
Pagan
admitted that between Nov. 9, 1999 and April
1, 2007, she used her official position
to access the court’s computer record
system and make entries dismissing 215 parking
tickets, carrying potential fines in excess
of $5,000, which had been issued to her
and her daughter. The judge ordered Pagan
to pay full restitution for the fines, penalties
and costs associated with the dismissed
tickets. Pagan resigned from her court position
in September 2007 after her alleged misconduct
came to light. As a result of the guilty
plea, she was also ordered to be permanently
barred from public employment in New Jersey.
Hudson
County Assignment Judge Maurice J. Gallipoli
initially investigated allegations regarding
irregularities in the disposition of tickets
in Jersey City Municipal Court. He referred
the matter to the Attorney General’s
Office.
The
case was investigated by Detective Lisa
Cawley and Sgt. Lisa A. Shea of the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Deputy
Attorney General Asha Vaghela presented
the cases to the state grand jury.
Attorney
General Dow 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 page will
remain confidential.
### |
