Freehold Man Indicted In Computer Theft From State School Agency

TRENTON, NJ – A Freehold man has been indicted in connection with the theft of 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 Monday.

Corey Jester, 49, of Freehold, was indicted by a state grand jury on charges of second-degree computer theft, third-degree conspiracy, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree receiving stolen property, third-degree fencing, and third-degree misapplication of entrusted property of government, Grewal's office said.

Jester was contracted in 2017 to be a temporary employee at the IT helpdesk for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, through a company contracted to provide temporary IT services. It is alleged that while employed at the SDA, Jester accessed a storage closet and stole 28 computers, including mini PC computers and laptops. The computers had an estimated combined total retail value of $25,000 to $30,000. Jester allegedly cleaned data from the computers, installed new software, and sold them online at a price per computer that usually was in the range of $100 to $200, Grewal's office said.

Darryl Jester, 55, of Lawrenceville., Corey’s brother, was indicted with him on charges of third-degree conspiracy, third-degree receiving stolen property, and third-degree fencing. It is alleged that Darryl Jester assisted his brother in selling some of the computers, knowing that they were stolen, Grewal said.

The indictment was the result of an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau and the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau, conducted with the assistance of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. The SDA discovered computers were missing in December 2017 and, after an initial investigation, referred the matter to the Division of Criminal Justice. Both were arrested and charged by the New Jersey State Police on Jan. 9, 2018.

"This case reflects our resolve to work with other governmental agencies to guard state property and taxpayer dollars vigilantly," Grewal said. "The Schools Development Authority quickly discovered these thefts, and our detectives and attorneys in the State Police and Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the SDA, diligently investigated and secured this indictment."

"This indictment should serve as a strong warning to dishonest actors who might consider using their government employment and access to public property as an opportunity to steal," said Veronica Allende, director of the Division of Criminal Justice.

"By stealing computers from the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, Jester was stealing from the children of our state," said Col. Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

The Division of Criminal Justice has a toll-free corruption tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities confidentially. The public can also log on to the Division webpage at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.

There also is 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.

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Corey Jesper photo provided by the state Attorney General's office