Politics & Government
Hillsborough Athletic Director Charged With Theft Of $10K
Michael Fanizzi was charged with stealing more than $10,000 from the high school. He had served as athletic director for the past 15 years.
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Long-term Hillsborough Township Athletic Director Michael Fanizzi was arrested and charged with stealing more than $10,000 from the high school, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced.
Fanizzi, 53, of Conover Way had served as athletic director for the past 15 years but was placed on administrative leave in in December 2017.
That same month, Hillsborough Police reported a potential theft of funds from the Athletic Department at Hillsborough Township High School to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit.
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Other information also came through the STOP!T Messenger, an anonymous online computer application which allows users to provide information to law enforcement.
During a three month investigation, investigators conducted a forensic audit of the Athletic Department’s records where they found Fanizzi received reimbursement checks from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) between 2013 and 2017.
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The checks were intended to be deposited into the Board of Education account as reimbursement for high school athletic event services. However, the investigation found that Fanizzi deposited the NJSIAA checks into the athletic department’s bank account in place of the cash ticket sales, according to Robertson.
Fanizzi then kept portions of the cash proceeds from the events totaling $10,704 of unaccounted cash missing from the athletic department, according to the report.
On Friday members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit arrested Fanizzi without incident at his Hillsborough home.
Fanizzi was charged with third-degree theft by unlawful taking, and he was released on his own recognizance pending a court appearance.
(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Michael Fanizzi, 53, of Conover Way, Hillsborough)
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