The investigation commenced after town officials approved an independent investigation by a private law firm that ultimately found no evidence of theft.
The independent investigation took a couple weeks and neglected to review key evidence implicating DPW employees.
The UCPO has been investigating for months and has yet to interview key witnesses and consider corroborating evidence despite efforts made to provide information.
The Fact of The Matter has learned that the detective investigating the overtime theft has obtained statements from witnesses implicating DPW workers in theft of OT.
The evidence is so overwhelming a 3 year old could solve this crime.
TFoTM asks Union County Prosecutors Office Detective McNamara..............
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ReplyDeleteI was hoping that a new Prosecutor would herald a new "special investigation unit". When you consider the track record of the past Prosecutor's, I guess it is silly to think a new Prosecutor would be different.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mountainside mishandled the sophomoric pranks of its PD, the Union Prosecutor sat on video evidence for about a year and did nothing.
When Westfield asked about a phony written report of a hit and run INSIDE a locked area with only police access, it found nothing and ,with the concurrence of the Westfield government, gave the "in good standing" label to the suddenly retiring police chief. Even when videos were produced showing tampering with the police evidence room, nothing was found.
With that track record, does anyone expect any detective to find wrongdoing?
It would seem that the report of wrongdoing by a public employee requires the approval of the executive for the Prosecutor to "find" a transgression.If the finding of wrongdoing does NOT embarrass the government, then the Prosecutor can find criminal acts.
Having been interviewed by the prosecutors office it would appear they are more interested in finding out who the sources of information to this blog are then they are actually solving a crime.
ReplyDeleteWhen the newspaper and TV reporters get a hold of this information.. the detectives along with the DPW employees will have some major explaining to do. Can’t lie when there’s proof against you. Goodbye pensions. Or maybe you’ll get lucky like Wayman and the town will let you get it. Thieves.
ReplyDeleteSilence is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe administration has derided the accusation of "theft of time", then hired a law firm to affirm their opinion,then, after it is shown that the administration misled its own agent( the law firm), the Town Attorney admits wrongdoing but says it was ok because it was expedient.Then it's sent to the Prosecutor for confirmation that the Town's latest opinion is valid. The Prosecutor can't even play its assigned part.
Meanwhile, the "loyal opposition" can't even muster a comment to defend its appointees. The Republicans remain mute except for a candidate who should be mute.
Dirty politics is not pointing out the problems being created by your opposition. Dirty politics is when you lie about your opponent or dredge up old stuff having no connection to the issues at hand.
The silence in Westfield is of no service to anyone.
Can we have this CRAZINESS end already.......
ReplyDeleteThe DPW employee who filed the grievance if he/she REALLY wants the TRUTH to come out they need to contact the Courier News, Star Ledger and other News outlets like Channel 2,4 7 and 11 to tell their story. You want to see action, you would see action IMMEDIATELY. Why in this day and age people are NOT just speaking publicly i do not understand. You are not going to lose your job you have a Union contract by which to stand behind and protect you. These Supervisors and Department Heads and your own Union Rep's who were involved need to be held accountable, they were not just STEALING from the Town and the Tax payers but they were Stealing from YOU and your fellow workers. This is what UNIONS were developed for, "to protect the workers" if wrong doing's were happening. It is very clear from reading all of the comments and seeing the pictures of people punching other people in/out that wrong doing has occurred as this is NOT normal behavior or how things are supposed to be done. Not ONLY the DPW employee who filed the grievance knows what was going on but so do MANY other DPW employee's, you ALL need to stand together UNITED and SPEAK UP!!!
It’s been alleged that the prosecutor’s office hasn’t interviewed everyone on the Gironda Report list among others.
ReplyDeleteWe are now into October, this UCPO investigation supposedly started in July.
1,2 Robbie they are coming for you, 3,4 Robbie they at your door, 5,6 Robbie picking up sticks, 7,8 Punch me out late, 9,10 Robbie never work for Westfield again.
ReplyDeleteThe UCPO picks and chooses who they prosecute. After reading the below news story ask why Westfield Police Chief David Wayman was able to retire with his pension and not criminally charged for stealing property from the WPD property room that was seized during the execution of a search warrant.
ReplyDeleteELIZABETH – A Rahway man who worked as a Union County Police Officer has been convicted of a scheme to illegally pay heavily reduced prices for items purchased from local department stores.
Blake Clay, 36, was found guilty of theft, theft by deception and official misconduct, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a release. The conviction followed a two-week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch and several hours of jury deliberation over two days.
Clay faces up to five years in state prison with a mandatory minimum of two years before the possibility of parole when he is sentenced by Kirsch. As part of his sentence, scheduled for Nov. 15, Clay also will be barred from any future public employment in New Jersey, the release states.
READ: Slain Linden High School grad's brother charged in Rahway murder of Saquan Hurling
A Union County Prosecutor's Office Special Prosecutions Unit investigation revealed that Clay visited department stores in Clark, Edison, Linden, and Woodbridge multiple times over several months in 2016, and used counterfeit barcodes to significantly lower the prices of various items when they were purchased at the register, according to Union County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Derek Nececkas and Assistant Prosecutor Robert Rosenthal, who handled the case. As a result, on more than 10 occasions, Clay paid amounts of $1.50 to $4.50 for items actually ranging in price from $15.99 to $39.99, the release states.
Clay initially visited local Walmart stores to carry out the scheme, but when confronted by a store employee on one occasion, he signed an agreement admitting to inappropriate conduct and promising not to enter any other Walmart locations nationwide. Afterward, he started executing the scheme in area Target department stores – and on multiple occasions, he did so while in full police uniform, the release states.
The total value of the thefts amounted to more than $600. Clay was served the charges by summons in May 2016, and he was suspended without pay while awaiting trial, the release states.