MORRIS COUNTY — A bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Ron Dancer and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, clarifying disability retirement eligibility for members of the State Police cleared the Assembly State and Local Government Committee on Thursday.

The bill (A1797) would allow State Police Retirement System members to qualify for accidental disability retirement benefits if a work-related traumatic event triggered a preexisting, asymptomatic condition. Currently, members cannot claim to be totally and permanently disabled, either physically or mentally, under such circumstances.

“No one expects that an asymptomatic condition could result in a permanent disability, but trauma can make that happen,” Dancer (R-Ocean) said. “Our State Police members should not be blocked from receiving the appropriate benefits needed due to physical or mental trauma suffered in the line of duty.”

Members who were denied this form of retirement in the previous 10 years can reapply if they initially applied within five years of the event. Approved beneficiaries will receive two-thirds of their annual compensation at the time of that traumatic event. The bill stipulates that the triggering event must have occurred while the member was performing regular duties, and could not have been caused by the member.

“This legislation will ensure the troopers who need this accidental disability benefit have access to it,” Dunn (R-Morris) said. “The families of those public servants should have peace of mind that they will be provided for in the face of unexpected health challenges that force them out of work.”

The bill unanimously passed both houses of the Legislature last session but was pocket vetoed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker announce the hiring of Daniel Roman as Assistant Prosecutor and Alexis Rivera as Detective for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Assistant Prosecutor Roman and Detective Rivera were officially sworn in by Prosecutor Carroll at the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office on May 31. Assistant Prosecutor Roman is assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit within the Family Division. Detective Rivera is assigned to the General Investigations Unit within the Courts & Administration Division.

Assistant Prosecutor Roman most recently served as an Associate Attorney for a private firm, and Staff Attorney for the Center for Hope and Safety in Rochelle Park.  He previously served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Miguel A. de la Carrera, J.S.C., Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division Criminal Part in Passaic County. He also served as Student Attorney at Seton Hall Law Center for Social Justice, Equal Justice Clinic; a Law Clerk for a private firm in Montclair, and an Intern for both the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Division of Law and the White House Presidential Personnel Office. AP Roman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Monmouth University, and a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Detective Rivera most recently served as a Detective for the Newark Police Department’s Major Crimes Division Shooting Response Team, General Crimes Division Auto Squad, and Patrol Division. Previously, he served as a Special Law Enforcement Officer Class I for the Carteret Police Department. Detective Rivera is PTC Certified from the New Jersey State Police Academy and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and Hispanic Law Enforcement Society of Essex County. He attended Essex County Community College and Dutchess Community College.

Prosecutor Carroll said, “The past experiences of our incoming Assistant Prosecutor and Detective will prove to be a valuable addition to our ranks, and we are excited to have them join our office.”

PARSIPPANY — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill released the following statement after securing the Democratic nomination for a third term to represent New Jersey’s 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives:

“Serving in the Navy taught me the importance of working together to accomplish a mission — of teamwork, cooperation, and putting my country’s needs ahead of my own. That’s what guides my work in Congress. I’m grateful to all the voters in New Jersey’s 11th District who share this same sense of purpose and urgency when it comes to the issues facing our communities. Thank you to everyone who took part in our democratic process and made their voices heard by casting their ballot — and to our incredible volunteers who power this team.

“As your Representative, I have worked to secure key victories to save taxpayers money and make New Jersey more affordable for families.

“We funded the Gateway Tunnel Project to improve the lives of commuters and passed a historic infrastructure bill to fix our crumbling roads and bridges. We cut through bureaucratic red tape to jumpstart the construction of an Army Corps flood mitigation project for the Peckman River to protect homeowners and businesses from flooding and financial devastation. We ended surprise medical billing so a trip to the emergency room doesn’t bankrupt families. We clean up our air and water, expand child care, and invest in job training programs to support workers, families, and children. To lower costs, we are fixing our supply chain and bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

“I have stood up to protect veterans who served our country. I fought to have the PAWS Act signed into law to provide service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD, and I am working to get burn pits legislation across the finish line in the Senate so veterans exposed to toxic chemicals get the care they deserve.

“Each election cycle has felt more important than the last. With so much at stake — voting rights, women’s rights, the environment, safety from gun violence — November’s election will determine the direction of our country. We have laid an incredibly strong foundation for our future and our children’s future. We must keep going forward, and that starts with holding the House and the 11th District.”

MORRIS COUNTY — A Morris County man was indicted for his role in a conspiracy to bilk millions of dollars from a bank, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Kurt Phelps, 53, of Flanders, is charged by an indictment returned March 11, 2022, with one conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of bank bribery. Three of Phelps’ conspirators previously pleaded guilty in connection with the fraud scheme.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From 2013 through 2019, Phelps and his conspirators carried out a scheme to defraud Phelps’ employer, a bank. They obtained millions of dollars of credit from the bank for Starnet Business Solutions Inc. (Starnet), a now-defunct New Jersey-based printing company, where Phelps’ conspirators worked. Phelps’ conspirators paid him large cash bribes in connection with the fraud scheme.

In 2013, Starnet received a line of credit from the bank after providing materially false financial information. The bank not only allowed Starnet to maintain the line of credit but also increased the line of credit at various times. By 2018, the line of credit was worth approximately $8 million, and Starnet has not repaid it.

Phelps was aware that the financial information Starnet provided to the bank for the line of credit was materially false, and coached Starnet on how to defraud the bank. Phelps would review draft financial information for Starnet and provide feedback on how his conspirators should falsify the information before submission. Phelps also worked to ensure that the bank did not detect the fraud scheme by helping Starnet avoid audits and other quality control measures employed by the bank.

Phelps solicited large cash bribes – tens of thousands of dollars at a time – from Starnet in connection with the fraud scheme. Phelps’s conspirators pooled cash to pay Phelps bribe payments. Over the course of the conspiracy, Phelps accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash bribes.

The conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank bribery charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Suchorsky of the Economic Crimes Unit.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.