HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Patrick Ricciardi, a Hoboken City Hall employee, surrendered Wednesday morning to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents to face allegations that he intercepted communications meant for Mayor Dawn Zimmer and top city officials, and allegedly passed them on to other current and former city officials, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s office.
Rumors have been swirling since the FBI raided Ricciardi’s office earlier this year that someone in his office may have slipped confidential information to opponents of the mayor.
According to the release, beginning in April 2011, employees of the mayor’s office became suspicious that the subject matter of emails they were sending amongst themselves were being somehow “leaked” to outside parties, according to the release.
The mayor’s office said earlier this year that they were the ones who had contacted the FBI.
As part of his job duties, Ricciardi was responsible for keeping the city’s network running and had access to email accounts within the city’s computer system and other aspects of the city’s computer network.
FBI agents were in City Hall in late May, and were seen removing computers from the information technology office.
According to the results of an Open Public Records Act filing by the Reporter two weeks ago, Ricciardi did not sign in to work after May 18, but remained an employee for the city of Hoboken. Records show he recieved approximately $3,000 between June and October, so it is unknown whether this payout was salary or other benefits.
The release today states that Ricciardi is a “former city of Hoboken information technology manager.”
The city has since outsourced its Information Technology services.
Ricciardi is charged with one count each of accessing a computer without authorization, interception of wire and electronic communications, and disclosure of intercepted wire and electronic communications, according to the release. Ricciardi is due in federal court in Newark at 2 p.m. today (Wednesday), according to published reports.
Updates will be posted after the Reporter contacts more officials associated with the arrest.
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BREAKING: FBI arrests Hoboken City Hall employee, says he allegedly slipped Zimmer administration communications to certain other ‘current and former’ city officials
