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| For
Immediate Release: |
For
Further Information: |
December
2, 2011
Office
of The Attorney General
-
Paula T. Dow, Attorney General
Division
of Criminal Justice
- Stephen J. Taylor, Director |
Media
Inquiries-
Peter
Aseltine
609-292-4791
Citizen Inquiries-
609-292-4925 |
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Three
Men Sentenced for Rigging Bids on Computer
Contracts with Oakland, Lincoln Park and
Haledon Police Departments |
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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that three employees of an information
technology company were sentenced today for
rigging bids for computer contracts with the
Oakland, Lincoln Park and Haledon police departments.
According
to Director Taylor, the following three
men were sentenced today by Superior Court
Judge David H. Ironson in Morris County:
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Peter Meich, 37, of Butler,
formerly vice president of operations
for Sparctech Solutions, LLC., was sentenced
to three years of probation and 364 days
in the county jail to be served at the
end of the term of probation, with the
jail sentence to be vacated by the judge
if he completes his probation successfully;
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Joseph Romano, 53, of
East Brunswick, former Owner and Sole
Proprietor of Jastech Supplies, was sentenced
to three years of probation and 180 days
in the county jail to be served at the
end of the term of probation, with the
jail sentence to be vacated by the judge
if he completes his probation successfully;
and
- Ralph
Capozzoli, 37, of Carlstadt,
former vice president and procurement
specialist for Sparctech Solutions, LLC.,
was sentenced to two years of probation.
Each
man previously pleaded guilty to an accusation
charging him with making false representations
for a government contract (3rd degree) in
connection with false bids submitted on
a total of $24,360 worth of contracts awarded
to Sparctech Solutions by the Oakland, Lincoln
Park and Haledon police departments. Meich
and Romano pleaded guilty on Oct. 18, and
Capozzoli, on Aug. 2.
The
three defendants were required to enter
into consent agreements filed with the court
barring them for three years from doing
business, either personally or through any
business entity, with any public agency
or government in New Jersey. The three men
are responsible, jointly and severally,
for paying $24,360 to the Attorney General’s
Anti-Trust Revolving Fund for anti-trust
enforcement efforts. All three are responsible,
jointly and severally, for paying $18,960,
and Meich and Romano are responsible for
paying an additional $5,400, making the
total $24,360.
In
pleading guilty, the three men admitted
that they fabricated bids, purportedly from
competing companies, on public contracts
for computer hardware, software and services
for the three police departments. In the
competing bids, they set prices higher than
Sparctech Solutions’ bids in order
to ensure that Sparctech was awarded the
contracts as the lowest cost bidder. In
addition to submitting bids from his own
company, Romano admitted to submitting additional
false bids on all three contracts in the
name of a third company without that company’s
knowledge or authorization.
Deputy
Attorney General David M. Fritch prosecuted
the case for the Division of Criminal Justice
Corruption Bureau. The bureau’s deputy
chief, Deputy Attorney General Anthony Picione,
represented the state at the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by Capt.
Joseph Celli, Detective Sgt. 1st Class Garrett
Duffy, Detective Sgt. Myles A. Cappiello,
Detective Sgt. Mario DiRienzo, Acting Detective
Sgt. Peter Layng, Detective Oliver J. Sissman
and Detective Brian Murphy of the New Jersey
State Police Official Corruption Bureau,
working with Deputy Attorney General Fritch
and former Deputy Attorney General Steven
Zweig.
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