Maplewood DPW Superintendent Charged With Misconduct For False Bathroom Bids: Complaint

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood's superintendent of public works has been suspended following his arrest on misconduct charges last Monday, town officials confirmed.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office arrested Cesare Riccardi last Monday, March 13 and charged him with official misconduct, then released him, they said.

A complaint and affadavit from a detective at the Prosecutor's Office allege a scheme in which fictitious bids were submitted for town projects, so that one contractor could be the lowest bidder and thus win the contract.

According to a complaint, Riccardi was charged with four counts of official misconduct last week and a count of tampering with public records.

The complaint says that on Sept. 26 of last year, Riccardi "Did commit the offense of official misconduct, by falsifying or knowingly accepting falsified bids for work within the township of Maplewood and awarded work within the township of Maplewood based upon falsified bids and directly and unjustifiably benefited favored contractors to the detriment of the township."

Another count charges that Riccardi committed a "pattern of official misconduct" by submitting fictitious bid proposals to the township on more than two occasions.

The complaint says that Riccardi "is responsible for gathering bids for projects that cost less than $44,000. Part of that process requires he procure bids from three separate companies and subsequently present them to the director [and town engineer], Mr. Paul Kittner, who would then select the lowest bid."

According to an affadavit submitted by a detective with the Prosecutor's Office, in June 2022, Kittner received three bids for a bathroom project in town, with the lowest being $21,000. Kittner found the amounts fairly high for the work to be done, so he asked a company already doing work for the town to give an estimate, which turned out to be $5,000.

The discrepancy prompted the administration to investigate the bid proposals that Riccardi said he'd received, the complaint says.

"Former Business Administrator Jerry Giaimis pulled emails from the town’s server and discovered that Mr. Riccardi had received one email bid ... This email contained three separate bid attachments for the bathroom project," the complaint says. "The three attachments resembled each other and were close in price but Fredco’s estimate contained the lowest bid."

More investigating turned up similar scenarios for past projects, with one email usually containing all three bids, the complaint alleges.

"It should be noted that the 'bid' documents received contained inconsistencies, spelling errors and in some cases, they mirrored one another," says the complaint.

A spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said he could not comment further because "It’s an open and active investigation."

Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed

Meanwhile, Giaimis filed a whistleblower lawsuit in Essex Superior Court last November saying he was pressured to resign as administrator after bringing the matter to the attention of officials. The suit names Mayor Dean Dafis and the Maplewood Township Committee.

The lawsuit details the pattern of misconduct uncovered by Giaimis. It then says that the Township Committee had been considering promoting Riccardi last summer, dividing public works into two departments to be headed by Riccardi and Kittner.

Giaimis says that at a July 2022 meeting at which the Township Committee discussed promoting Riccardi, Giaimis detailed, in closed session, some of what he'd uncovered. Giaimis says a committeeman who's friends with Riccardi "displayed visible irritation" toward him.

The suit also notes that other supposed bidders for past town projects couldn't be reached when he tried to contact them, or said they hadn't bid.

In Maplewood's form of government, voters choose five members of the Township Committee, and those members choose a mayor and deputy mayor from among themselves each year. Riccardi has worked through several administrations.

Riccardi Suspended

Patch has reached out to current Mayor Dean Dafis for comment on the lawsuit.

The township commented through a press release: "Maplewood Township is aware of the recent arrest of a long-time employee on charges related to the bidding of work for the Township. When the Township discovered a possible violation of law, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office was immediately notified. Since then, the Township has cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so. We are awaiting further details from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office."

Interim Business Administrator Gregg Schuster said Monday that Riccardi "was suspended from his job when he was charged. He will remain suspended while we investigate."