TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A former Jersey City Recreation Department clerk has admitted stealing approximately $80,000 by inflating hours for certain relatives and associates.
Angela Rivera, 41, of Jersey City, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking. Under terms of a plea agreement, state prosecutors will recommend she serve three years in prison, make full restitution and be permentaly barred from public employment when she is sentenced in April.
Rivera inflated payroll for part-time and seasonal employees who are her relatives or friends from Dec. 31, 2016 through Feb. 23, 2018 for hours that were not worked, prosecutors said. Some of those paychecks were deposited into Rivera’s personal account after prosecutors said she forged the employees’ signatures to endorse the checks over to her.
Four relatives and associates who allegedly took part in the scheme were admitted into the pretrial intervention program. Charges will be dismissed after they return the money and succesfully complete terms of the program.
“This type of public corruption can be very costly to taxpayers, as this case demonstrates, and we’re determined to hold those who commit such crimes accountable,” said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
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