Wildwood Mayor Admits To Tax Fraud: Federal Officials

CAMDEN, NJ — The mayor of Wildwood admitted to aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent tax returns, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Peter J. Byron of Wildwood, 67, pleaded guilty in Camden federal court Friday to an information charging him with two counts of willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of fraudulent tax returns to the IRS for calendar years 2017 and 2018, Sellinger said.

Byron served as a commissioner for the city of Wildwood from January 2017 to December 2018 and was in charge of the Revenue and Finance departments, according to court documents.

From June through August of 2017, Byron sent multiple emails to the managing partner of a law firm in Gloucester County, seeking help in getting a job there.

Byron received a letter in October 2017 on the letterhead of the managing partner’s law firm with a job offer to Byron from a company. According to the terms of the October 2017 letter, Byron was to receive an annual salary from the company for working as a salesman. The signature on this letter was forged, according to court documents.

From October 2017 through September 2018, Byron received $40,425 in payments from the company. But he did not report this income on his tax returns for calendar years 2017 and 2018, resulting in a tax loss to the I.R.S.

Byron told federal law enforcement officials that he did not file tax returns in those years because he did not have money to pay the taxes he owed, court documents say.

After the interview with federal officials, Byron aided and advised his accountant in the preparation and presentation of his personal income tax returns or calendar years 2017, 2018 and 2019, but the 2017 and 2018 returns falsely represented his gross income for those years, according to court documents. The income had his Wildwood Commissioner salary and other sources, but not the money from the salesman job, court documents say.

In June 2022, Byron, along with former Wildwood Mayor Ernest V. Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steven E. Mikulski were also charged with fraudulently receiving benefits from a state health plan they were not eligible to join. Read more: Wildwood Mayor, Former Mayor, Commissioner Charged With Fraud: AG

The tax charges each carry a maximum potential sentence of three years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense, whichever is greater, Sellinger said. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 2, 2023.