Montclair University sergeant charged in PBA card fraud enrolls in PTI, loses job
A 25-year veteran Montclair State University police sergeant accused of trading his PBA card for forged insurance documents has entered a diversionary court program to resolve the charges against him.
Christopher Angst, 49, of Long Valley, avoided jail time during a hearing last week in state Superior Court, but was required to forfeit his employment at the state's second largest public university, where he had been employed as a police officer since 1999, according to pension records.
Angst, who was charged in 2023 on third- and fourth-degree charges including insurance fraud, forgery and falsifying/tampering with records, agreed to the terms of the pretrial intervention program on June 17 before Judge Ralph Amirata, a state Superior Court judge in Morris County.
Following successful completion of a 12-month probationary term, the charges against Angst will be dismissed, Amirata stated. Angst is also barred from future public employment, including as a police officer.
Prosecutors accused Angst of conspiring with Michael McFadden, 54, of New Milford, an insurance agent with Insuranze Associates in Hasbrouck Heights, charging the men via summonses in September 2023, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
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McFadden allegedly created false documents saying Angst had a workers' compensation coverage policy for his company, C&E Professional Painting LLC, in Long Valley. The business did not have a workers' compensation policy, officials said.
Angst had allegedly falsely presented his company to a client as being insured and the client unknowingly submitted the fake documents to an insurance carrier, according to officials.
Angst was also accused of gifting McFadden a gold Police Benevolent Association card in exchange for the documents, authorities said.
Angst did not admit guilt during the short court hearing and will be monitored by the court and undergo various programs for rehabilitation through the pretrial intervention program, or PTI, which is offered to first-time offenders based on a number of statutory guidelines.
Angst was initially charged with one count of fourth-degree falsifying/tampering with records, one count of third-degree insurance fraud, one count of fourth-degree failure to provide workers' compensation, one count of fourth-degree forgery, and one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
McFadden is facing charges of fourth-degree falsifying, one count of third-degree insurance fraud, one count of fourth-degree hindering, one count of fourth-degree forgery, and one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. His charges have yet to be resolved.
Angst, who was represented by attorney Roy Breslow, agreed to provide a sworn statement and truthful testimony for future court hearings.
Email: lcomstock@njherald.com; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: NJ university police sergeant charged in fraud scheme gets PTI
