By Jim Hague
Reporter staff writer
The state Attorney General’s office began a full-fledged investigation into possible wrongdoing within the North Bergen Department of Public Works last week, filing at least one subpoena and perhaps as many as 11 in order to receive information about possible no-show jobs and municipal workers being paid for two jobs at the same time.
According to a source in the Attorney General’s office in Trenton, the investigation centers on some employees who apparently signed into work in the DPW, but then left to work for private contractors while still on the municipal payroll, and on some part-time inspectors who were being paid by the township, but never showed up for work.
After learning of possible improprieties, the state Attorney General’s office issued the subpoenas to the township in order to review every time sheet, sign-in sheet, and work order involving the DPW, dating back to September of 2000, when the alleged improper practice apparently began.
The township has agreed to comply with the demand from the state Attorney General’s office and has begun the process of turning over the records that were requested in the first subpoena.
While some of the work orders have been computerized, others requested by the state AG’s office were never entered into a computer database and have only been kept in file cabinets, which will make the process of turning over the information tedious, according to a township employee.
So far, no indictments have been handed down and no names have been mentioned.
Several calls to the state Attorney General’s office were not returned by press time.
Tight-lipped
Most of the township is keeping close-mouthed concerning the investigation, which marks the second investigation of the township in the last six years.
Several township officials, including Mayor Nicholas Sacco, refused to comment by press time.
“We’re fully cooperating with the subpoena,” township attorney Herb Klitzner said. “Whatever we need to do to cooperate with it, we’re going to do.”
Klitzner said that the township received its subpoena about 10 days ago, but he did not know of any individual subpoenas handed down to township employees.
“I have not heard anything about individual subpoenas, just the one handed to the town,” Klitzner said. However, it is believed, through a source involved in the investigation, that individual subpoenas, requesting formal testimony in front of the state AG’s office, have been processed as well.
In 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, launched a probe into corruption involving township officials. Ulimately, a heating/air conditioning contractor turned state’s evidence and gave Christie’s office the names of people who were involved.
The contractor, Leonard Farinola, gave the U.S. Attorney’s office enough information to lead to the convictions or guilty pleas from former township administrator Joseph Auriemma, former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Peter Perez, former Municipal Utilities Authority purchasing agent Joseph Hernandez, and other officials.
It was an investigation that hung over the township for four full years and forced everyone involved in the township’s business to walk on egg shells, wondering if the next shoe would fall in their general direction.
That investigation was definitely geared by Christie to center on North Bergen Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco, but there were not even hints of any illegal activity by Sacco and the investigation ended two years ago.
Rothman withholds grant pending investigation
Now, news of a DPW investigation comes out – only this time, it comes from the Democrats. State Attorney General Anne Pilgram was recently appointed to the position after former AG Stuart Rabner was appointed to the State Supreme Court. It is believed that the investigation into the North Bergen DPW began under Rabner’s watch – and Rabner is close friends with Gov. Jon Corzine, who is a close political ally to Sacco.
The last time, Christie, a Republican, was behind the investigations.
The township is already feeling the brunt of the investigation. Rep. Steve Rothman, whose constituency includes North Bergen, requested that a $500,000 grant that was earmarked for improvements to the North Bergen Public Works complex be removed from Rothman’s docket for securing federal grants.
“I learned the North Bergen Department of Public Works is under investigation and has received subpoenas from the New Jersey Attorney General’s office,” Rothman said in a statement released by his office Tuesday afternoon. “Until this matter is cleared up, it would be inappropriate to proceed with this funding request.”
The grant was expected to provide a new garage for the DPW on Tonnelle Avenue and was also going to help the repair shop for the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, located directly next door to the DPW headquarters.
“I will not endorse sending taxpayers’ money to an entity under investigation for alleged violations of the law,” Rothman said in the statement.
Rothman’s decision to pull the federal funding off the table from North Bergen caught the township by surprise.
“The Democratic Leadership made a poor decision in removing North Bergen from this bill,” township spokesman Craig Schmalz said. “They have effectively made themselves judge and jury, condemning the vast majority of residents on baseless grounds. The Attorney General’s office has begun a preliminary investigation into alleged wrongdoing, there have been no indictments or charges filed, just the issuance of a subpoena for DPW records.”