TRENTON, NJ — On Friday, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) filed criminal charges against two people who allegedly fraudulently claimed to have ties to a township official in order to collect a payment from a company owner in Union Township.
Both Whitney DaSilva, 38, of Kearny, New Jersey, and Steven Carr, 54, of Staten Island, New York, are accused with second-degree bribery and conspiracy. According to the OPIA Corruption Bureau, Carr is also charged with theft by fraud in the third degree.
Carr told the business owner that he had a personal connection to a Union municipality official who could settle the owner’s legal disputes with the municipality in exchange for more than $10,000, according to the criminal complaint. DaSilva allegedly helped by offering to transfer the funds and enabling communication.
Carr made up the story concerning the township official’s involvement, investigators found. There was no proof that any officials were involved in the plot. The business owner was subject to administrative proceedings for their establishment, and the crimes reportedly took place between February and May.
These offenders allegedly attempted to bribe a business owner. Attorney General Platkin stated that the owner reported it to law authorities, which was the appropriate thing to do.
After the victim reported a bribe attempt, the alleged plot fell apart.
According to documents, Carr was first introduced to the business owner by DaSilva. Carr went on to say that he knew a township official who, in exchange for a payment of between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash, could make the business owner’s legal issues go away. DaSilva agreed to give Carr the money and urged the company owner to make the payment.
Bribery tactics don’t pay, as the accusations in this case demonstrate, said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. They will only result in a criminal prosecution against you.
Carr and DaSilva may be sentenced to five to ten years in jail and fined up to $150,000 for the second-degree offenses if found guilty. Carr faces a maximum term of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 for third-degree theft by deception.
Authorities stressed that no misconduct by the Union Township official mentioned in Carr’s bogus allegations was found during the inquiry. OPIA detectives were able to establish the case against the two defendants because the business owner chose to notify law authorities.
Both defendants are assumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court, and the allegations are merely accusations.