The headlines went up online line yesterday and will most likely be in print today - Sgt. Leslie Knight and Lt. James Abney have been indicted on official misconduct, conspiracy and theft charges.
Knight has been very active in community affairs, most recently a back-to-school event in August.
Abney was recently named coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management. He also succeeded Knight on the Planning Board.
The outcome of the cases remain to be seen, but it is disappointing to see two sworn officers indicted. They run the risk of being barred from public employment, a fate previously suffered by former Detective Richard Brown, once a mayoral bodyguard, who was charged in 2009 with with stealing more than $8,000 in PBA funds while serving as treasurer of the organization. Police Officer Samad Abdel, once the division's gang expert, was barred from public employment after pleading guilty in 2007 to official misconduct for his part in an insurance fraud scheme.
Here is Monday's press release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office
:
Plainfield police officials indicted on official misconduct, conspiracy, theft charges A Union County grand jury has returned a 39-count indictment against two Plainfield Police Division officials accused of stealing a combined total of more than $11,000 by repeatedly filing fraudulent timesheets for overtime and extra-duty work shifts, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday.
Plainfield Police Sgt. Leslie Knight, 44, and Lt. James Abney, 46, each has been charged with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree engaging in a pattern of official misconduct,
second-degree conspiracy, third-degree tampering with public records, numerous third- and fourth-
degree charges of theft by deception, fourth-degree falsifying government records, and several related offenses.
An intensive, months-long investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit and the Plainfield Police Division’s Internal Affairs Unit revealed that Knight allegedly billed the City of Plainfield for more than 30 overtime and extra-duty shifts she worked during times in which she
was also being paid for regular, on-duty work, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor
John Esmerado, who is prosecuting the case. The amount of illegally obtained payment claimed by
Knight totaled more than $6,800 during the 2012 and 2013 calendar years, Esmerado said.
The investigation revealed that Abney engaged in similar criminal conduct in 2012 and 2013, when he served as a sergeant and later as a lieutenant, according to Esmerado. In his case, those actions yielded more than $4,200 in illegally obtained pay, Esmerado said.
Knight and Abney both served as ranking officers, to whom other officers would report regularly, during the time in which they are alleged to have illegally billed the City, Esmerado added. The pair also on several occasions allegedly signed off on each other’s fraudulent overtime or off-duty timesheets, and Knight oversaw the administration and scheduling of extra-duty work for the entire Division during the time she was orchestrating the alleged scheme. At one point, the indictment
against Knight alleges, she signed in to the Division’s payroll system under another Division
employee’s username in order to secure payment for her own fraudulent work claims.
The charges against Knight and Abney were issued via summons on Monday, and both are
expected to travel to Elizabeth for criminal processing early this week. Convictions on second-
degree crimes typically result in penalties of 5 to 10 years in state prison, while third-degree offenses typically result in terms of 3 to 5 years. Convictions in this case additionally would result
in Knight and Abney being permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty in a court of law.
A person at public works went to jail years ago for the same thing. Mosts just disappear for a few hours a day to does the banking and pickup up errands, but thinks those things dont count.
ReplyDeletesad if true.. to lose so much for what in reality, is so little
ReplyDeleteSo sad I hope this is not true. This is why need a Police Chief . Hellwig was suppose to supervising and watching the employees of the Police Department and all he was doing was shopping on Craig's list. What other wrong doings will they find out next? The Former Mayor SRB term was full of overtime abuse!
ReplyDelete3:06am, I agree with you, this is truly sad I always had a lot of respect for these two officers as they seemed to care a great deal about this City. I have always thought that the council made a mistake when they voted out the Police Chief.
DeleteMr. Riley seems to be doing a 100% better job than Hellwig did. I wonder why the Mayor has not rooted out the folks in city hall that have been stealing time for many years, take a week of vacation and code themselves two days if any, everyone knows but nothing is ever done, what about employees that are stealing time as it is(not at work, but coding themselves at work) and then put in for overtime back pay, get it approved by the administration and bilking the City for thousands of dollars, if you are not ever at work, how in the world do you deserve overtime back pay. Can we send Mr. Riley to City hall for a few days so he can bring these theives up on charges, the Mayor knows who they are if he doesn't, he can ask SRB, she can give him the names.
I wish we could root out the trash stealing from the tax payers in the City administration, but the unions have such a strangle hold on jobs that it is indeed difficult to get rid of bad workers. Working on the Mapp commission before he took office, I heard how hard it was to remove bad employees form many department heads. We need to change things and remove dead wood from all department.
DeleteBet you they want a snickers now so when you wanna get away
ReplyDeleteHow far down the list did Sharon need to go to capture this pond scum? Thanks Mr. Riley and all the rest of the creditable Plainfield police personal for rooting out these cancerous "public servants". It is a shame that the department has to spend valuable time on these matters instead of policing the City.
ReplyDeleteThey held up the list to promote them and created positions to get to sharons and martys buddies
DeleteShould we expect any better when our elected officials look the other way while their appointees over at PMUA rifle the till for $100,000s in illegal compensation, and then give a new job with a 6-figure salary to one of the orchestrators of that scam?
ReplyDeleteI think that the rhetoric is too severe. The Bard said it, "The evil that men do lives after them, the goodis oft interred in their bones", or something like that. I guess I'm soft hearted, but if there is a conviction I would punish by suspension, repayment of the funds, and demotion, but not expulsion. The good part of these people's lives and their years of service should serve to mitigate the sentence. The fact that the ploy was discovered, that the perpetrators must endure the residual ignominy their lifetime, in my mind, serve as sufficient deterrents to dissuade repetition, and provide appropriate punishment. Whereas, the conspicuous PMUA conspiracies, initiated and endorsed by public officials, which defrauded the public, not of relatively minor sums, but millions of dollars in unwarranted payoffs, illegally appropriated benefits, and unnecessary job creation warrants jail time. Justice in order to warrant the name must be even handed. Bill Kruse
ReplyDeleteThese folks had a chance to repay, be suspended for a while and face demotion, but they refused. They could have ended it there, but bet on Sharon winning another term so their corruption could continue. They don't deserve another chance. Most people don't get one second chance, let alone two.
DeleteThat puts an entirely different light on the picture. Bill Kruse
DeleteI know Leslie Knight personally and these allegations does not conform with her character. Leslie was always known to be a honest, godly woman. She is always giving back to her community and she is def my sistah in god.. All I can say is sometimes in jobs like these, a lot of things become political. She was on the force for 12 years, she is a strong black woman and she became Sargent! some would do anything to take that away from her! I support her 200% and I will say to everyone just remember.. these are only allegations and both parties are INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty in the court of law.... I support you Leslie Knight!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOur last mayor considered herself a "Godly woman", but people in her church said she seldom showed up unless it was coming to election time or she wanted something. Look at the mess she left the city in. So much for "Godly".
DeleteSo after an "intensive, months-long investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit and the Plainfield Police Division’s Internal Affairs Unit" which must have cost tens of thousands of dollars (attorneys, even public ones, don't come cheap, and they haven't even started to prosecute yet) the best they could come up with is a total of $11,000 worth of questionable overtime? What's wrong with this picture? I think the prosecutor rented the full-on party boat for the whole weekend thinking there were sharks but came home only with minnows. It's the equivalent of sending a SWAT team to arrest a pot smoker. Thanks, Grace Park, I feel much safer.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying we should let corruption continue as long as it is only for thousands of dollars? I think a message needs to be sent to others who are doing this. That money the stole was the taxpayers' money.
DeleteWhat is alarming about these charges is that the "internal affairs" bureau was on a witch hunt to get these two officers. The PPD has long had sloppy paperwork but to single out these two officers for what turns out to be a pittance shows how corrupt internal affairs is. If a mistake was made in time-sheets, which happens OFTEN at PPD, then the time sheets should be corrected. Look at who is running some of the bureaus, do an audit of ALL the overtime sheets and then we will see the truth. Abney is a stand-up officer who has donated hundreds of hours to Plainfield and who probably has tons of comp time hours. If you divide up the amount purportedly taken, it adds up to $40 a week--that's not even an hour of police pay for a lieutenant. It doesn't make any kind of sense. Why would he deliberately falsify time sheets? It doesn't make sense to those of us who know the current "inmates running the asylum" at the PPD. That he pleaded not guilty so that he could clear his name in court shows that he cares about his career and I hope that he will blow the lid off the long-time sloppy practices of the PPD over the past several years. Other officers who have had a questionable time-sheet or something not signed off on correctly have been dealt with in-house and that's a fact. James Abney is one of our best police officers, and a high-ranking one at that. Why would he risk his career? The answer is, he wouldn't. He is a humble, smart, well-educated (Master's Degree) officer who would not jeopardize his career. I think the prosecutor better get ready to have egg on her face for believing the crap coming from those behind this smear from the PPD. When prosecutors load up dozens of charges that are virtually the same thing, it shows the weakness of the case. They won't get them on the most egregious ones, but will try to get them on some penny ante violation. The result is that the officer's career will be irreparably harmed, and the viciousness in the PPD will continue. I urge Mayor Mapp to do a serious audit of the PPD. I urge him to take hold of everything and hire an independent investigator to look at ALL the timesheets of EVERYONE. Riley can't do it because he is deeply connected with the county and he has put new people in charge of bureaus (internal affairs, administrative) that are not qualified in my opinion. When the truth about the sloppiness at PPD comes out, we will see the truth.
ReplyDeleteYou must have one of those jobs that Jerry has been handing out, using tax payer money to buy support. How trustworthy are you?
DeleteBernard Madoff, according to friends and family was a humble, smart, well educated guy. Greed has no boundaries
DeleteMayor Mapp needs to clean his own house first when it comes to falsifying time sheets, undeserved overtime, backpay etc.
ReplyDeleteGet real Anonymous Jerry and Sharon supporter. City Council members and the Mayor don't get paid for overtime and there can be no time sheets to fudge on a fixed salary. I'm on salary and often give 5 or more hours a week I don't get paid for. Its part of the job. Maybe City employees should do the same for extra work occasionally.
DeleteBob, when I say his own house, I am referring to City Hall employees fudging their time, the Mayor needs to root these folks out that take weeks of vacation and only code 1 or 2 days, apply for overtime back pay when they didn't work regular time, those that start every year with 20 or more vacation days as if they never used a day the prior year. I do realize that the PPD is a part of his house but would love to see him put a stop to the free for all @ 515 Watchung.
DeleteMayor Mapp needs to bring back the Police Cheif then maybe this will not happen again. Mayor Mapp has not the best job so far by bringing in his boss to work for him and after John Stewarts job title was not put into the budget Mayor Mapp took money from another Dept and has kept his personal friend inCity Hall. This is just as bad as Abbney and Knight. Tax payers need to show up on Election Day and Vote for a change. We need to stop the overspending that's going on in City Hall
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I know Leslie Knight personally also. She is my family and she has helped so many people in so many ways. The Bible tells us to pray for one another and love one another, and to help our fellowman. We all make mistakes in life; it wouldn't be life if we didn't. No one is perfect except Jesus!!! We are all entitled to our opinion, and I am going to voice mine, just as you have voiced yours. Sergeant Knight is the most kindest, generous and loving person that has ever walked the face of this earth. I know that she is going to come out of this mess o.k. She has worked so hard to get where she is today, and I support her. Who hasn't done some bad in life? Raise your hand if you have not. I believe that the whole PPD should be investigated. We have Officers out here who are supposed to be doing O.T., or on their beat, and they are out flirting with people and not doing what they are supposed to be doing as officers. Just yesterday, I watched an officer who was on his beat flirting with 2 women when he should have been inside watching the store. He did this for at least a half hour, and never went back in the store to monitor activity. So, don't just stop at these 2 officers. The PPD needs to monitor their employees who are the main ones out here breaking the rules, yet they are quick to write summons' up to citizens. Who is really watching them? No one. So Leslie, as I said to you before, you hold your head up high, and just hold on because God has you. The song by Dottie Peoples entitled, He Is an On Time God, Yes He Is. He May Not Come When You Want Him, But He Will Be There Right On Time. You just stand still and see His salvation. He will fight your battles and He will work it all out for you. "This Battle is Not Yours, It's the Lord's Now." You stay prayed up.
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