Public officials absconding with public funds in nothing novel in New Jersey, but if the accusations underlying this latest case is verified, it’s one of the more egregious examples in recent memory.
On Friday, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced that his office had charged Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy with Official Misconduct and Theft.
“The investigation revealed that Kennedy, in his capacity as Mayor of the Borough of Ocean Gate, failed to turn over proceeds from the sale of borough assets – sold by way of the government auction website GovDeals.com – and instead took possession of those proceeds for his own personal benefit,” the prosecutor’s office explained in a statement. “The investigation further revealed that Kennedy failed to deposit borough parking meter funds in the borough’s bank account, and that he sold borough office furniture through a private Facebook Marketplace account, attempting to keep the proceeds for his personal benefit.”
Kennedy was subsequently released pending trial.
The term of the Republican mayor of the tiny 2,000-resident borough expires in December.
