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April 2, 2004 CONVICTED
GLOUCESTER COUNTY OFFICIAL SENTENCED
Court Orders Resignation From Municipal Position... Prohibited From
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TRENTON — Division of Criminal Justice Director Vaughn L. McKoy today announced that the former treasurer of a Gloucester County municipal election campaign committee has been ordered to resign his municipal position and banned from all future government employment as part of the criminal sentence imposed by Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall. The prosecution by the Division of Criminal Justice - Special Prosecution Bureau resulted from the ongoing investigation related to allegations of corruption and illegal campaign contributions involving JCA Associates - a South Jersey-based consulting firm. Director McKoy said that Daniel Wilson, 53, St. Regis Court, Mantua Township, Gloucester County, the former treasurer of the West Deptford Democratic Campaign Committee (WDDCC) and current Director of the Department of Public Works for the municipality of West Deptford, was also sentenced to serve four years probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and court costs. McKoy noted that Wilson was convicted on 11 counts of criminal activity after a non-jury trial on Feb. 17. The verdict, contained in a detailed opinion issued by Judge Marshall, found Wilson guilty of multiple charges of falsifying or tampering with public records, tampering with public records or information, and concealment or misrepresentation of campaign contributions and/or expenditures. "This investigation and prosecution, in concert with the sentence imposed by the Court, stand as a warning that government corruption and election fraud will be uncovered and aggressively pursued by the Division of Criminal Justice," said Director McKoy. "The defendant was convicted after a public trial of concealing campaign contributions far in excess of the legal limits, hiding the truth from the public and, ultimately, undermining the very integrity of the electoral process. The defendant's explanations and post-sentencing comments and excuses are without merit. Indeed, the defendant's conduct in this case represents a serious breach of the public trust." Deputy Attorney General Anthony Picione, assigned to the Division of Criminal Justice - Special Prosecutions Bureau, argued at sentencing that the crimes committed by Wilson strike at the very integrity of the electoral process. Picione noted that there are few, if any, concerns more paramount to a democratic society than its interest in free and fair elections. Picione noted that Wilson, through his deliberate actions, put those democratic concerns at risk in an effort to frustrate the declared public policy of requiring campaign contributions to be properly reported. DAG Picione further noted that campaign treasurers, while not themselves public servants, are given a public trust -- a trust that they will perform their duties honestly and will accurately report how and from where candidates receive funds and how those funds are spent as part of the electoral process. The evidence at trial proved beyond any doubt that Wilson's actions were designed to frustrate both the Election Law Enforcement Commission and the public by concealing a major source of financial support for the West Deptford Democratic Campaign Committee candidates. Additionally, the facts and the evidence proved that Wilson deliberately carried out the deception for five years - from the 1996 through the 2000 elections, thus allowing the WDDCC to retain over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions. The Division of Criminal Justice - Special Prosecutions Bureau charged Wilson via a State Grand Jury indictment on Nov. 20, 2002. The indictment charged that from September, 1996 through November, 2000, Wilson, as Treasurer of the West Deptford Democratic Campaign Committee, failed to report more than $100,000 in campaign contributions to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) and with violating state campaign expenditure and filing laws. The investigation focused on alleged irregularities involving the accounting, disbursement and reporting of campaign contributions received by the West Deptford Democratic Campaign Committee. The investigation uncovered deliberate actions intended to cover-up the illegal campaign contributions and to frustrate the reporting requirements of New Jersey's stringent election laws. Judge Marshall found Wilson guilty of Count Two of the indictment which charged falsifying or tampering with records (4th degree), Counts three through seven which charged tampering with public records or information (3rd degree), and Counts eight through twelve charging concealment or misrepresentation of contributions or expenditures (4th degree). While the Division of Criminal Justice sought a county jail term, there is a presumption of non-imprisonment for first-time offenders convicted of a third degree offense. The investigation was coordinated by Deputy Attorney's General Anthony Picione and Thomas Goan of the Division of Criminal Justice, Special Prosecutions Bureau. State Investigators Robert Walker, Paul Marfino, Eric Ludwig and Supervising State Investigator Albert Palentchar of the Special Prosecution's Bureau conducted the overall investigation.
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