Former Green Brook Fire Company treasurer pleads guilty to embezzling $200K
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SOMERVILLE – The former treasurer of the Green Brook Fire Company pleaded guilty Friday to embezzling more than $200,000 from the volunteer organization.
The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office is recommending that John Pagano be admitted into the pretrial intervention (PTI) program, complete restitution to the fire company and its insurance company, and undergo psychotherapy.
Pagano pleaded guilty to second-degree charges of theft by deception and official misconduct before Superior Court Judge Julie Marino.
Each charge carries a five to 10-year prison sentence, but if Pagano successfully completes the PTI program, the charges would be dismissed.
Pagano has agreed to pay $37,531 in restitution to the fire company and $150,000 to the American Alternative Insurance, which covered the fire company's loss.
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Pagano already has made $50,000 in restitution to the fire company by withdrawing money from his pension account.
Pagano joined the fire company in 2006 and became treasurer in 2013, he confirmed to the judge.
But two years later in 2015, he began having personal financial problems and began using fire company's funds to pay his mortgage and credit card debt, which was about $100,000, Pagano said.
To cover up what he was doing, Pagano said as treasurer he gave false reports at the monthly fire company meetings.
In 2020, Pagano said he put off an audit of the fire company's books for as long as he could.
But then he wrote a letter to fire company officials admitting what he had done and 10 minutes after he left the firehouse, township police were at his home.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Former Green Brook NJ Fire Company treasurer admits embezzling $200K
