2 New Brunswick Water Employees Arrested

New Brunswick, NJ - Two new arrests at the New Brunswick Water Utility were announced over the weekend: Two employees, identified as William Ortiz and Joseph DeBonis, were arrested and charged with bribery, official misconduct and tampering with public records, the city announced.

The news comes nearly one year after New Brunswick Water Utility inspector Edward O’Rourke confessed that for more than two years, he lied about testing the area’s drinking water. O'Rourke was in charge of overseeing Middlesex County's drinking water and, last December, he admitted in court that he knowingly submitted false water purity reports to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The two new arrests at the Water Utility, announced Saturday, appear unrelated to the O'Rourke incident: Ortiz and DeBonis are accused of accepting money in exchange for reducing water and sewer bills, reported NJ.com.

Ortiz, from North Brunswick, was a water meter reader, and Joseph DeBonis, of Toms River, was also a water meter reader and senior account clerk. Ortiz allegedly agreed to accept $2,000 to reduce someone's water and sewer bills, reported NJ.com. That person was not named.

Both of them have been suspended without pay. DeBois earned $43,221 and Ortiz earned $46,864. Ortiz was criminally charged with bribery and official misconduct, while DeBonis has been charged with tampering with public records and official misconduct.