Freehold Man Gets 5 Years' Probation For Stealing 28 Computers

TRENTON, NJ –A Freehold man has been sentenced to probation for stealing 28 computers from the New Jersey Schools Development Authority while working for the state authority as a temporary employee, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced Friday.

Corey Jester, 49, of Freehold, was sentenced to five years of probation by Superior Court Judge Robert W. Bingham II in Mercer County. Jester additionally was sentenced to 180 days in prison to be served at the end of his probation, but the jail time will be waived if Jester complies with all of the terms of his probation, the attorney general's office said. If Jester violates his probation, he will have to serve time in jail, Grewal's office said.

The state had recommended a sentence of three years in prison under the plea agreement.

Jester pleaded guilty on Oct. 19, 2018 to a charge of third-degree theft by unlawful taking. He was ordered to pay restitution of $22,085 to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, and on Friday he paid $5,000 toward the restitution.

Jester had been working for a company contracted by the state to provide temporary information technology staff, under contract in 2017 as a temporary employee on its help desk for the SDA. While employed at the SDA, Jester accessed a storage closet and stole 28 computers, including mini PC computers and laptops. He cleaned data from the computers, installed new software, and sold them online, usually at a price per computer of $100 to $200.

The SDA discovered that computers were missing in December 2017 and, after an initial investigation, referred the matter to the Division of Criminal Justice. Jester was arrested by the State Police on Jan. 9, 2018.

Attorney General Grewal and Director Eicher noted that the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability has a toll-free Tipline 1-844-OPIA-TIPS for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities confidentially.

The Attorney General’s Office has an Anti-Corruption Reward Program that offers a reward of up to $25,000 for tips from the public leading to a conviction for a crime involving public corruption. Information is posted on the Attorney General’s website at: http://nj.gov/oag/corruption/reward.html.