Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced the arrest of Anthony B. Savino , 52, of Staten Island, New York on fraud charges.
According to authorities, on October 2017, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office received a complaint from representatives of the Bergen County Utilities Authority regarding an employee, Savino , who they believed had violated New Jersey Civil Service and employment regulations by obtaining employment with a public entity using a fraudulent New Jersey residential address.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that in 2013, Savino obtained a New Jersey driver’s license using a fraudulent mailing address in Bergen County even though, at the time, he resided in Staten Island, New York.
Using the New Jersey driver’s license as proof of residence, Savino applied for and obtained employment with the Bergen County Utilities Authority.
At the time of his application, employment at the public entity required applicants and non- exempt employees to maintain their primary residence in New Jersey as per the residency requirements of the New Jersey First Act. Savino maintained the fraudulently obtained address while employed at the BCUA and, in fact, changed his residency to a second, fraudulently obtained address in November 2017.
Upon receiving a position with the BCUA, Savino applied for and obtained health insurance benefits by completing an insurance application on which he reported the fraudulent information.
Authorities arrested Savino in Paramus on Dec. 22nd and was issued a summons.
Upon his release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Savino was turned over to the Port Authority Police Department on an unrelated matter.
According to police, Savino is wanted by the Port Authority Police Department in connection with a theft of services investigation which was initiated as a result of 343 EZ-Pass violations committed utilizing an EZ-Pass account and vehicles to which he had access.
Authorities ultimately charged Savino with one count of Insurance Fraud and one count of Falsifying Records. He has been released pending his first appearance in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court scheduled for Jan. 10, 2018.
In addition, Port Authority Police Department charged Savino and issued a summons for one count of Theft of Services, in an amount greater than $500 but less than $75,000. He was released pending his first appearance in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court on Jan. 5th.
Prosecutor Grewal states that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.