A 33-year-old Stratford man is charged with Theft by Deception and Official Misconduct offenses, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
According to authorities, on or about March 14, 2017, Michael Gibbons who served as Deputy Chief of the Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections committed the offense of Theft by Deception and Official Misconduct by purposely obtaining property belonging to Atlantic County and specifically by adding non-worked overtime hours to two employees time card reports in order for them to receive additional money in their paychecks.
Officials say on two of these occasions, Gibbons then solicited the money back from an employee for his personal use. Additionally, as a public servant, Gibbons used a county vehicle to take two employees to Camden County to clean out his mother’s attic; both employees were paid with public money. These acts by Gibbons are in excess of $500 and crimes of the second and third degree.
“Public officials who misuse the valuable resources entrusted to them shake the faith in our system that all of us rely upon for the delivery of various services,” said Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner. “This case demonstrates that Atlantic County government has an effective system of checks and balances in place which identified the crime and then promptly reported it to our office for prosecution.”
Police charged Gibbons with Third-degree Theft by Deception and Second-degree Official Misconduct.
The investigation is being handled by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Official Corruption Unit. Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Mario Formica represents the state in this matter.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/.
Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.