A Margate firefighter was charged this afternoon with official misconduct and theft, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced today.
This afternoon, after an 8-month investigation, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit served criminal complaints through his attorney to Michael C. Palmer, 36, of Somers Point, for the charges of official misconduct, and theft by failure to make required disposition of property— both crimes of the 2nd degree.
The State alleges that Palmer, while employed by the City of Margate as a Lieutenant of the Fire Department, used his position as Secretary/Treasurer of the New Jersey Fireman’s Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA) Local 41 (Margate), to take more than $75,000 from FMBA Local 41 bank accounts between January 2011 and June 2014, and made personal use of the money.
The Prosecutor’s Office was alerted to irregularities in Margate FMBA Local 41 bank accounts in June 2014. Lt. Palmer was immediately suspended from his employment by the City of Margate, pending the outcome of the investigation.
A conviction for a 2nd degree crime carries a potential sentence of 5 to 10 years of incarceration in New Jersey State prison.