Sat Jan 09, 2010 at 01:29:25 PM EST
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It's not a problem if people take personal time off and while they are on that time, they help out a campaign. If they take that time off and the records are destroyed to make it look like they were actually working, that's a problem and that is what is being alleged:Carmine Casciano, 63, of West Caldwell, faces charges of second-degree official misconduct, state officials said. Between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2008, Casciano allegedly orchestrated a scheme in which employees of his office would be given days off to compensate them for vacation days they used to work on political campaigns. He told some of them to keep a log of vacation days used for campaigns, then later instructed them to alter or destroy those records. The case has not gone to the grand jury yet apparently. Casciano's attorney says his client will plead not guilty. This seems to be a situation of the more they look, the more they are finding:The latest revelation is the outgrowth of an ever-widening investigation that, until today, had ensnared 10 defendants accused of election fraud in the 2007 campaign of state Sen. Teresa Ruiz.
The biggest piece of the criminal case came Dec. 1, when a state grand jury indicted Essex County Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez, Ruiz' husband, along with four campaign workers on charges of ballot tampering in Ruiz' Senate race in the 29th Legislative District. It's important to note that no one has indicated Ruiz herself has of any wrongdoing. Here' more on the impact on the Gonzalez indictment:Just days after the Gonzalez indictment, the state Attorney General's Office issued subpoenas for Superintendent of Elections' employee records documenting vacation and sick time for some 20 election workers. Here was the reaction of the County Executive:"I'm taken aback and I'm surprised," said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., whose roots, like Casciano's, extend to Newark's North Ward and Barringer High School. "Like everybody else, you have to have your day in court." Divincenzo said he would ask him to step down immediately from his position with the Essex County Utilities Authority. He also said that the Superintendent position oversees his office and is appointed by the state and confirmed by the Legislature. If he were to be convicted, the SL says he could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison, a criminal fine of up to $150,000 and a lifetime ban on any future public employment. |
| Jason Springer :: Essex County Superintendent of Elections charged with official misconduct |
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