http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110517/NJNEWS/305170013/Ex-Sparta-mayor
May 17, 2011
SPARTA — A former mayor of Sparta who is a captain with the state Human Services Police Department has been charged with submitting fraudulent paperwork and using police databases for personal purposes, according to the Office of the Attorney General.
Brian Brady, 49, was charged with three counts of second-degree official misconduct and one count of second-degree pattern of official misconduct. Brady turned himself in to detectives Tuesday to be processed and was later released without having to post bail.
This police captain allegedly abused his office by falsifying and misusing official records to serve his own purposes,” said Attorney General Paula Dow. “There is no room for dishonest conduct on the part of a sworn law enforcement officer.”
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in state prison on each official misconduct charge, including five years without possibility of parole, and a consecutive sentence on the pattern of official misconduct charge.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau and New Jersey Department of Human Services.
Brady, who formerly was a councilman and mayor of Sparta, is the third highest ranking officer in the Human Services Police Department, reporting to the chief and the director. The Human Services Police provide police services at the developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals operated by the Department of Human Services. They also are assigned to protect offices and case workers for the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services.
Brady was elected to the council in 2006 and was elected mayor by his fellow council members in 2008, which was the same year he and two other members of the council were the subjeccts of a failed recall attempt. Brady did not run for a second term.
Brady, who earned an annual salary of $101,000 last year, allegedly submitted false time sheets indicating that he had worked on days when he was away on personal trips. On some of these personal trips, including travel outside of the State of New Jersey, he allegedly used a state vehicle and state-issued E-Z Pass, the attorney general’s office said in a news release.
Brady also is accused of submitting four annual certifications that falsely stated that he had completed required activities at a firing range to re-qualify in use of his service firearm, the release said.
Brady also allegedly had background checks conducted on every member of a minor league baseball team using a police database and provided the results to the team’s manager. It is also alleged that Brady used a police database to run a background check on a vehicle that he wanted to purchase, the release said. The police database is to be used strictly for criminal justice purposes and not to be used for personal gain.
The Department of Human Services immediately suspended Brady pending a disciplinary hearing.
“Police officers are properly held to a higher standard,” said Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor. “The public needs to be able to rely on the fact that officers will act with integrity at all times when performing their duties.”
