Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a Philadelphia man was convicted at trial in Trenton, of conspiring with a temporary state employee to steal checks totaling $17,206 from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
This was the first verdict obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice in a socially distanced jury trial during the COVID 19 pandemic.
According to the Attorney Generals' office, Phillip Stewart III, 39, of Philadelphia, PA., was found guilty on Friday, November 13, by a Mercer County jury of third-degree charges of conspiracy and theft by unlawful taking. He was acquitted of a charge of third-degree theft by deception.
According to court records, Stewart was convicted of conspiring with Shaminga Davis, 32, of Morrisville, PA., a former temporary employee of the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL), who used her position to steal 11 checks totaling $18,222 that were made payable to the department.
Officials reported that Davis gave nine of those checks, totaling $17,206, to Stewart, who deposited them into another person’s bank account and withdrew all of the money. Davis previously pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception and is awaiting sentencing.
Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Davis be sentenced to a term of probation, conditioned on 364 days in the county jail and payment of full restitution.
In order to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and maximize safety, participants in the trial wore masks.
Attorneys were permitted to remove their masks while standing at a socially distanced podium with a plexiglass barrier while questioning witnesses or addressing the jury.
There were plexiglass barriers between each juror in the jury box and the two rows of jurors were six feet apart. There also were plexiglass barriers between those seated at the defense and prosecution tables. Jurors and witnesses wore clear masks provided by the court.
“I commend our trial team for meeting the challenges of a socially distanced trial to ensure that this defendant was held accountable for stealing from the State of New Jersey and its taxpayers,” Attorney General Grewal said. “I also commend the Judiciary for designing a courtroom and procedures that allowed this trial to proceed safely and justly during the COVID pandemic.”
“Our attorneys, detectives and staff in the Division of Criminal Justice did an outstanding job under difficult conditions to secure this verdict,” Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice said. “I also want to thank our partners in the Department of Labor for their excellent work. The COVID pandemic has created many challenges for law enforcement, but we will not be held back in our efforts to investigate and prosecute crime and protect the people of New Jersey.”
Attorney General Grewal and Director Allende urged anyone with information about theft, financial fraud or other criminal activity to contact the Division of Criminal Justice confidentially at its toll-free tip line 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, members of the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice webpage at www.njdcj.org to report information confidentially.