El fiscal del condado de Ocean, Bradley D.. Billhimer anunció que en enero 26, 2024, pablo kennedy, 68, de la puerta del océano, fue sentenciado por la Honorable Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C., to three years New Jersey State Prison as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to the crime of Pattern of Official Misconduct. The sentence is subject to a two-year term of parole ineligibility. Además, Kennedy is permanently disqualified from holding any future public office or employment. Kennedy pled guilty to the charge before Judge Rahill on September 22, 2023.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards/Corruption Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad. La investigación reveló que Kennedy, en su calidad de alcalde del municipio de Ocean Gate, no entregó el producto de la venta de activos del municipio – vendido a través del sitio web de subastas del gobierno GovDeals.com y, en cambio, tomó posesión de esas ganancias para su beneficio personal.. Investigation further revealed that Kennedy failed to deposit borough parking meter funds in the borough’s bank account, y que vendió muebles de oficina del municipio a través de una cuenta privada de Facebook Marketplace., attempting to keep the proceeds for his own personal benefit.
En marzo 18, 2022, Kennedy was charged with Official Misconduct and Theft, and surrendered himself to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office. He was released on a summons pending future appearances in Ocean County Superior Court.
Continuing investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards/Corruption Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad determined that Kennedy collected cash from the sale of scrap metal originating in the Borough Recycling Center, and then failed to turn the proceeds over to the Borough. Asimismo, as Mayor, Kennedy convirtió fondos donados por contribuyentes a “Friends of Ocean Gate” para su campaña de reelección, así como la campaña de sus compañeros de fórmula, para su beneficio personal. Como consecuencia, Kennedy was charged with additional counts of Official Misconduct. En mayo 4, 2022, Kennedy surrendered himself to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office. He was released on a summons pending future appearances in Ocean County Superior Court.
“This is a textbook example of public corruption: the leveraging of one’s official public position to gain unlawful personal benefits,”, afirmó el fiscal Billhimer.. “The overwhelming majority of public officials perform their duties with integrity and honor. Señor. Kennedy, sin embargo, took advantage of the very citizens he was sworn to serve. He was elected to serve the people of Ocean Gate, yet he prioritized his personal interests and greed over the needs of his constituents. This is unacceptable conduct – conduct that only serves to undermine the public’s faith and confidence in public officials. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute such breaches of public trust to the fullest extent of the law,”, concluyó el fiscal Billhimer..
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Michael Abatemarco who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards/Corruption Unit, Equipo de Delitos Económicos de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Ocean, Departamento de Policía de Ocean Gate, y la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Ocean, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation leading to Kennedy’s guilty plea, y ahora su sentencia de prisión estatal.