TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that an auditor employed by the
New Jersey Division of Taxation has been charged
with demanding a bribe from the owner of a
convenience store in Gloucester County in
return for not initiating an audit of the
store.
Jerry
L. Moore, 33, of Mays Landing, was arrested
on Friday, Feb. 10, at the store in Washington
Township, Gloucester County, by detectives
of the Division of Criminal Justice after
he allegedly accepted a $900 bribe from
the owner. Moore was charged by summons
with second-degree bribery. He faces a sentence
of five to 10 years in prison if convicted,
including a mandatory minimum term of five
years in prison without possibility of parole
under New Jersey’s penalty enhancements
for public corruption. Moore was arrested
as a result of an investigation by the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. He
was released without posting bail after
being processed.
“We
charge that this state tax auditor used
the authority of his public position to
shake down a small business owner for a
bribe,” said Attorney General Chiesa.
“The serious criminal charge filed
against him should send a very clear and
powerful message to government employees
who think they can use their public offices
for personal profit or advantage.”
“This
investigation started when a member of the
public alerted the Division of Criminal
Justice about the alleged corrupt conduct
of this government employee,” said
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor.
“We urge anyone who suspects criminal
conduct by a public official to alert us
at our confidential tip line: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ.
We will aggressively pursue any leads we
receive.”
Moore
allegedly visited the convenience store
on Feb. 2 and told the owner that he must
pay him $1,000 to avoid being audited. During
a subsequent phone call, Moore allegedly
repeated his demand for $1,000, but the
owner asked that the amount be reduced to
$800. Moore allegedly agreed to $900 and
arranged to meet the owner on Feb. 10. Detectives
arrested Moore at the store immediately
after he allegedly accepted the $900 cash
bribe from the owner. Because the charge
is an indictable offense, the case will
be presented to a grand jury for potential
indictment. The complaint is merely an accusation
and the defendant is presumed innocent until
proven guilty. The Division of Taxation
has suspended Moore from his position as
a state auditor, which he has held since
December 2000.
The
investigation was conducted by Deputy Attorney
General Peter W. Lee, Sgt. Robert Feriozzi
and Detectives Stacy Scott and Frank Simpson.
Detectives John Sheeran, John Neggia, Paul
A. Marfino Jr., Michael Duffield and Joseph
McCray assisted in the arrest.
