Wildwood Mayor, Former Mayor, Commissioner Charged With Fraud: AG

WILDWOOD, NJ — Three current and former Wildwood officials face charges of fraud, theft and tampering with information, the New Jersey Attorney General's office said on Friday.

Current Mayor Peter J. Byron, former Mayor Ernest V. Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steven E. Mikulski are charged with fraudulently receiving benefits from a state health plan they were not eligible to join, Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.

“Today we bring charges against current and former public and elected officials for what we allege are egregious breaches of the public trust,” Platkin said Friday. “We will work tirelessly to root out public corruption and restore faith in our institutions.”

Byron (67), Troiano (71) and Mikulski (57) participated in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) meant for full-time employees working more than 35 hours a week, Platkin said. New Jersey law requires full-time elected officials to be eligible for the SHBP. However, the three were not eligible as they did not work full-time, Platkin said. They did not receive vacation, sick or personal days, and "maintained no regular schedule," Platkin said.

The three were also charged each with second-degree theft by unlawful taking and third-degree tampering with public records or information, Platkin said.

In 2011, when Troiano and Byron were elected, the two voted to pass a resolution declaring themselves as full-time employees who worked at least 35 hours a week and then enrolled in the SHBP, Platkin said.

"While Troiano and Byron did not work a regular full-time schedule or work at least 35 hours per week, they allegedly falsely signed and submitted timesheets to the city indicating they worked full days Monday through Friday," Platkin said.

Because of this, Wildwood and the SHBP paid more than $286,500 in premiums and claims on behalf of Troiano from July 2011 to Dec. 2019, and more than $608,900 in premiums and claims on behalf of Byron from July 2011 to Oct. 2021, Platkin said.

Mikulski, who became a Commissioner in 2020, enrolled in the SHBP and has since received publicly funded health benefits, Platkin said. Through Oct. 2021, Wildwood and the SHBP have paid more than $103,000 in premiums and claims on his behalf, Platkin said. Platkin alleged that Mikulski knowingly made false statements in a “Health Benefits Enrollment and/or Change Form” submitted to Wildwood.

Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis is prosecuting the case for the Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Peter Lee and OPIA Deputy Director Anthony Picione, with the assistance of Detectives of the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption South Unit. Platkin thanked the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits for their referral.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.