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NJ Watchdog: 3 Monmouth Undersheriffs Among 51 County Police Officials 'Double Dipping'

Investigation finds law enforcement officials collectively earning $3.7M a year in salary while drawing $5.4M annually in pensions

Three Monmouth County undersheriffs are among 51 county law enforcement officials in New Jersey who still receive salaries while also drawing a pension, according to a report by New Jersey Watchdog.

The investigation found that 17 sheriffs and 34 undersheriffs collectively earn $9.1 million a year "double dipping" — $3.7 million in retirement pay on top of $5.4 million in salaries — while utilizing loopholes under Gov. Chris Christie's pension reforms.

Locally, Undersheriff Robert Dawson earns $190,412 annually, with $96,432 of his compensation from his pension. Undersheriff Michael Donovan pulls in $179,699 a year; $85,932 in pension. Additionally, Undersheriff Theodore Freeman makes $151,345 annually; $59,208 in pension.

New Jersey Watchdog reports that participants in police pension plans qualify for "special" retirement after 25 years of service but often find opportunities to get back onto the public payroll, benefitting "from creative strategies, loopholes in laws and lax enforcement of rules."

“It’s not a great deal for taxpayers, and it’s something we need to fix,” state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, told NBC 4 New York, which produced the report in concert with New Jersey Watchdog. “The pension system is to support you when you’re done working. It isn’t there for you to enrich yourself by taking on another public salary.”

Beck also has sponsored a bill that would suspend state pension payments to public retirees who return to work at salaries beyond $15,000, but it has stalled in committee, the report states. 

Essex County's Armando Fontoura makes the most among county officials while "double-dipping," the report states, earning $1.14 million in pension checks, while drawing a salary for the past 22 years.

“Does it look bad? Yes. No question about it, it looks bad. Was it legal? Yes,” Fontoura told NBC 4 New York.

Click here to read the full report.

Lonestar October 16, 2012 at 05:53 pm
Even worse, undersheriff Dawson was hired into a job he wasn't qualified for. He retired as chief-of-police in Spring Lake and was then put in the role of technology director, in charge of computers, communications and developing the county wide police dispatch system which is rife with problems now in no small part due to the inexperience and lack of knowledge of both Dawson and Golden. Spring Lake is a great little town but as a qualifier for taking on police technology for the whole county as well as developing a county-wide dispatch system? Definitley not! Nice gig if you can get it but I'm sure there were more qualified people out there with the abundance of unemployed in the communications and systems technology fields. His $96,432 pension for doing 25-yrs on the crime riddled streets of Spring Lake is bad enough but to add another almost $94,000 as the double-dip is ludicrous.
commonman October 16, 2012 at 05:58 pm
if u work for the state it is because u are too lazy/stupid to get a job in the real world privatize everything
commonman October 16, 2012 at 05:59 pm
state workers r lazy and worthless crooks always looking for an angle to suck more $$ from the taxpayer
Lonestar October 16, 2012 at 06:30 pm
@Michael Balzary: Eric Brophy is absolutely correct about the Donovan-Guadagno job title roulette they played. How nobody got indicted or fired over that one is amazing. But even more amazing is that she moved on to the lieutenant governor's position to further her disregard of the law and contribute to the pension mess in NJ by padding the pension roles with her cronies, flunkies and political hacks.
Mike Rath October 16, 2012 at 06:50 pm
Why does an important article like this slide away in 1/2 a day and get replaced by a pig roast??
Lonestar October 16, 2012 at 08:55 pm
@Mike Rath: that's exactly why it is stalled in committee. All of that ilk count on people forgetting about the abuse and getting distracted with the next parade or big game. It falls to the back pages or out of the news altogether and the corrupt system goes on. Why is it stalled in committee? Because they are all guilty of it. Nobody can start pointing the finger at others when they know the finger can be pointed back at them. So they make a little noise but not enough to get things changed. And they are also afraid because they know the first Donovan or Dawson to go down can bring others just as guilty down with them and wouldn't that be a problem for all the politicos feeding their friends and buddies at the public money trough. Nobdy in power wants the system to change so it'll just keep on going and going ala Governor Christie packing the Port Authority with patronage jobs for those he owes favors to and we just keep on paying and paying for it.
07748 October 16, 2012 at 10:23 pm
It's not Christie? He went after the teachers, police, firefighters but left his political cronies alone. Look at Scharfenberger, Parkinson and Peters how they are padding their pensions in the Public Employee pension system. Christie is a joke, he turns people against publi workers but let his political pals fleece the taxpayers.
ray October 16, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Everybody here make such great points I just think it's just a matter of you have the ability to feel shame obviously none of these people feel any shame I also think it's a matter for the media to keep this in front of everybody so we all can see how much these guys are stealing and then maybe then. I think the only way to change this is to rub our nose in this scandal( and yes I say scandal because it is a scam perpetrated on all of us) to the point where we know these guys by name and by face we don't give him a minute rest every time we see them tell them how we feel maybe the pressure will make them quit
Bob Stevens October 16, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Why do we need an undersheriff to be a technology director. Wouldn't it make more sense to have someone that's not a law enforcement officer? And someone who went to school and is trained on this stuff.
Bob Stevens October 16, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Hasn't anyone noticed that Guadagno has been relegated to menial jobs (Ribbon cuttings, world trade center steel dedications, etc.) Even with Christie out of state most of the time, you never see Guadagno running the place in his absence. Doesn't the press notice this?
Eric D. Brophy October 17, 2012 at 12:05 am
Here is an opinion piece on this today. It spells out some additional details on njwatchdog's court battle to get records. Hopefully, the press will keep this issue in the public record.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2012/10/release_the_records_in_the_gua.html
Eric D. Brophy October 17, 2012 at 12:15 am
Here is the most recent njwatchdog's report and is a great overview of the history of the matter.
http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2012/10/16/state-sues-itself-over-release-of-records-to-nj-watchdog/
bud October 17, 2012 at 04:10 am
The NJ State Pension System borders on the Byzantine. Just go to the Asbury Park Press website and check out their Data Universe for "Double Dippers". Not only do these people collect pensions while taking other jobs, they also receive huge amounts of tax dollars claiming unused sick and vacation days upon "retirement." There are over 4,000 of these people!!! Some very illustrious names who know how to game the system.
Lonestar October 17, 2012 at 12:48 pm
And to make the whole smelly mess worse, there is no vetting for these jobs, no open announcements or job postings so that others can apply. Jobs are created, titles are made up and promised to those next in line to belly-up to the political patronage bar where you and I pay the tab. One day they are working as a police chief or county investigator and the next they are suddenly retiring and moving into an undersheriff's job that nobody else knew/or was told about. These jobs aren't filled by the best and brightest, only by the most politically connected.
ray October 17, 2012 at 12:56 pm
You would think they would post these jobs so we could get qualified people not just hacks it just goes to show they don't want the best person . I would love to post their phone numbers email account numbers. Some public shaming we do them good
Lonestar October 17, 2012 at 05:31 pm
@Ray: You'd think posting these jobs would be a good thing but it isn't to them. Corruption thrives behind secrecy, it doesn't survive with openness and transparency. The "Good Old Boys" network (and now "Good Old Girls" too) flourishes behind closed doors. If you haven't, read Eric Brophy's links above and look at the lengths the state is going to in order to cover-up and hide the truth about the Guadagno as sheriff affair.
ray October 17, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Hey lonestar yes I did read that Link and boy it was an eye opener I think eric brohpy.and for That matter you have a lot of good knowledge on this stuff only wish we got it somewhere else but this is the best way because I never would have come across this information
ray October 17, 2012 at 10:20 pm
I also managed to turn to other people on to those links
Lonestar October 17, 2012 at 11:23 pm
I hope Eric runs again. Sounds like he's passionate about changing things.
Rick Padula October 18, 2012 at 06:41 pm
Let's not forget the Port of Authority. Christie has labeled them hands off as well. Many of them his appointees. Why no more serious looks at their pensions and enormous salaries Governor? They feed from the biggest trough of them all. These people get 'longevity' bonuses to encourage them to stay in the job? Who in their right mind would leave those jobs? And if they did who would miss them?
Pilgrim October 18, 2012 at 07:00 pm
While Govenor Chris 'Reformer' Christie remains as the executive officer of New Jersey and supports Guadago -- more and more acting as the Govenor while The Christie spends more and more time out-of-state -- this issue will never be resloved and double dipping will continue to suck tax dollars out of the budget and increase state debt. This needs to be a major issue when The Christie and Kim 'Patronage' Guadagno run for re-election.
Pilgrim October 18, 2012 at 07:09 pm
Christie SELECTIVELY started to clean-up the mess when he went after some authorites that were out of control and he received the good press that went with his efforts and results; and, then he stopped. Someone needs to ask him about this at his next town hall meeting(s) and make sure they ask about Guadagano involvement in promoting double dipping patronage..
George Clark October 18, 2012 at 07:11 pm
we should have vince gopal or somebody actually post the 51s photos and addresses like they do to other common criminals robbing in broad daylight. Would that endanger them or be unconstitutional? i mean them no physical harm nor should anybody else. but we've got to do more to bring all this corruption and those that are commiting it out into the light.
Pilgrim October 18, 2012 at 07:13 pm
Some political reporter at the Asbury Park Press should hopefully have some insight into who and how this is being stalled in committee. Does Kyrillos have anything to do with this? Someone in Beck's office should be able to shed light on why this is stalled in committee?
bd October 18, 2012 at 07:21 pm
too bad the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED legislature won't act on this.........
bd October 18, 2012 at 07:22 pm
too bad the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED legislature won't act on this---at least Sen Beck is trying---unlike the rest of the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED legislature
Pilgrim October 18, 2012 at 07:38 pm
bd, both the Democrats and Republicans are involved. I'm sure that Democratic influence in Essex County and the Republican influence in Monmouth and Ocean Counties is keeping any potential fix locked in committee. I still would like to hear what Christie and Guadagano have to say, specifically Kim.
ray October 18, 2012 at 07:39 pm
I don't care if they are democrat or republican it does not make a difference to steal from all of us. lets stop trying to make this a partisan issue and I think you would get more people to support us going after both of these people Democrat and Republican thieves and eric B you got my vote if you run again
anonymous October 21, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Remember folks, double-dipping is not illegal; perhaps unethical, however, what Kim Guadagno did as sheriff was outright fraud so her friend Micheal Donovan could still collect his pension and receive a county salary. Guadagno, and current Sheriff Shaun Golden are the blame for this mess. Read the below hyperlink for more ad nauseam details:
http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2011/10/10/the-golden-age-of-double-dipping-in-monmouth-county/
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Gale Quinn May 26, 2013 at 02:40 pm
Don't do it. The Patch just wants others to do its job. The Patch reporter was moved to the HowellRead More Patch. Wall no longer has a reporter specifically assigned to our town. No longer do we have a reporter attending meetings and reporting on the important news relating to Wall.