Tuesday, 18 December 2012 06:26 Written by Admin

By Politicker Staff       | December 17th, 2012 - 5:07pm

Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that Timothy J. Grossi, Deputy  Director of Public Works for North Bergen Township, was indicted today by a  state grand jury for allegedly ordering that subordinate employees work on  political campaigns and perform personal chores at his home and the homes of  others while being paid by the township.

Grossi, 72, of Jersey City, is the fourth man to be charged in an ongoing  investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice into alleged abuses involving  employees of the Department of Public Works (DPW) being paid by North Bergen  Township for work unrelated to DPW functions.

On Sept. 11, DPW Superintendent James Wiley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to  commit official misconduct, admitting he directed DPW employees to perform  hundreds of hours of chores at his home and to work on campaigns while being  paid by the township.

On Sept. 21, DPW supervisors Troy Bunero and Francis Longo were indicted for  allegedly directing employees to do personal chores for Wiley and work on  campaigns.

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Grossi was charged today in an eight-count state grand jury indictment with  conspiracy (2nd degree), two counts of official misconduct (2nd degree), pattern  of official misconduct (2nd degree), theft by unlawful taking (3rd degree),  misapplication of entrusted property and property of government (3rd degree),  tampering with public records or information (3rd degree), and falsifying or  tampering with records (4th degree). The official misconduct and pattern of  official misconduct charges carry a prison sentence of five to 10 years,  including a mandatory minimum of five years without parole on the official  misconduct charges and a consecutive mandatory minimum of five years without  parole on the pattern charge.

“We allege that Grossi, who was one of the top officials in the Department of  Public Works, ordered that employees be unlawfully used for personal and  political purposes, all at the taxpayers’ expense,” said Attorney General  Chiesa. “Local taxpayers should never be asked to foot the bill for this type of  corruption, and we are working hard to eliminate it, in North Bergen and  throughout New Jersey.”

“Four defendants have now been charged in our ongoing corruption  investigation, reflecting our steady pursuit of evidence and justice in this  troubling case,” said Stephen J. Taylor, Director of the Division of Criminal  Justice. “We urge any residents or workers with additional information about  abuses to contact us confidentially. We are diligently investigating all  leads.”

As Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works, Grossi was Wiley’s  boss. It is alleged that Grossi ordered Wiley to send DPW employees to engage in  campaign work on behalf of candidates. Wiley sometimes assigned employees  directly, but he also conveyed the orders to his immediate subordinates, Bunero  and Longo, who allegedly assigned employees to work on campaigns.Grossi is  charged with one count of official misconduct for allegedly directing that  subordinate employees work on campaigns on three occasions, while being paid by  the township: (1) Nov. 4, 2008, in connection with a mayoral campaign in  Bayonne; (2) May 12, 2009, in connection with a mayoral campaign in Jersey City;  and (3) Nov. 2, 2010, in Jersey City, in connection with a campaign for sheriff.  The workers engaged in activities such as canvassing neighborhoods, distributing  campaign literature, and posting signs.

Wiley, Bunero and Longo were also charged in connection with the campaign  work on those dates.

The second count of official misconduct alleges that Grossi directly ordered  or had another order that one or more DPW employees perform personal tasks for  him or others while being paid by the township, including installing windows and  window air conditioning units at his home, performing gardening work or other  personal tasks at the homes of others, picking up or delivering political  literature, and taking photographs of political signs.According to the charges,  the employees assigned to work election campaigns or perform personal tasks  typically went to the sites using DPW vehicles, and they used tools and  equipment belonging to the department. Grossi is charged with the counts of  theft and misapplication of government property for his alleged role in the  unlawful use of employee services, vehicles, tools and equipment for the  election campaigns and personal tasks. In the two counts related to tampering  with or falsifying records, Grossi is charged in connection with his alleged  involvement in the submission of fraudulent timesheets related to his own hours  and the hours of subordinate employees, which allegedly covered up the unlawful  work done on campaigns and on personal tasks.

Grossi currently receives an annual salary of approximately $133,000 from  North Bergen Township.

Deputy Attorneys General Cynthia M. Vazquez and Analisa Holmes presented the  case to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption  Bureau. The investigation, which is ongoing, is being conducted by Detective  Garrett Brown, Investigator Joseph C. Salvatore, Lt. Robert Stemmer, and Deputy  Attorneys General Vazquez and Holmes.

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and  a criminal fine of $150,000. The official misconduct and pattern of official  misconduct charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison  without parole. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in  prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree crimes carry a sentence  of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.The indictment is  merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer  County, who assigned it to Bergen County, where Grossi will be ordered to appear  for arraignment at a later date.

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