Ex-Jersey City Police Chief, Manalapan Resident, Admits To Theft

JERSEY CITY, NJ — An ongoing federal probe into the Jersey City police department has nabbed one of the department's biggest names: Its former chief of police, who admitted Friday to embezzling money from the city housing authority.

Former Jersey City Chief of Police Phil Zacche admitted Friday to defrauding the Jersey City Housing Authority by getting paid for off-duty work he did not perform. Zacche, 61, lives in Manalapan. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court Friday.

This comes as part of a wide-ranging investigation done by the FBI into Jersey City cops getting paid to do off-duty jobs they did not perform. As many as 10 Jersey City police officers have been charged with getting paid for off-duty work they did not perform, and many of them have pleaded guilty.

Zacche admitted that, prior to becoming chief, he provided security for a Jersey City public housing complex between 2010 and 2014. The Housing Authority hired and paid Jersey City police officers to provide security at some of their housing sites. Zacche admitted filling out and submitting time sheets representing that he completed certain security shifts even though he was not physically present at the public housing building. Zacche was paid a total of $31,713 for work that he did not perform.

According to NJ.com, Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said in court today that federal prosecutors have phone records that would prove Zacche was "nowhere close" to Marion Gardens when he claimed to be working there.

Zacche was appointed by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop to be police chief, after Fulop demoted former chief Robert Cowan, who later sued Fulop. Zacche aprubtly quit being police chief in June of this year.

Zacche faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. As part of his plea, Zacche is required to forfeit $24,700. His sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2018.

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