North Jersey Worker Sentenced To 5 Years For Stealing Funds, Report Says

A former North Jersey social services employee was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for stealing thousands of dollars in public funds earmarked for low-income families, NorthJersey.com reported.

Jecemia Echevarria, 44, of Paterson, must serve at least three years of the sentence before she is eligible for parole. Her boyfriend, James Hayer, 31, also of Paterson, was sentenced to four years, according to the report.

Echevarria was a member of the Passaic County Social Service Emergency Assistance Unit, which helps low income families with rent and utilities payments, the report said.

Prosecutors said Echevarria asked clients to write money orders to her, and used the money for personal use; she then used county funds to cover clients' rent, according to the report.

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