Toms River Man Charged In Water Utility Scheme: Officials

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A Toms River man who works for the New Brunswick Water Utility has been arrested and suspended without pay, New Brunswick officials said, in an ongoing criminal investigation at the water utility.

Joseph DeBonis of Toms River, a water meter reader and senior account clerk at the department, and William Ortiz of North Brunswick, who also was a water meter reader, are accused of accepting money in exchange for reducing water and sewer bills, according to a report by NJ.com.

The city announced DeBonis and Ortiz had been arrested and suspended without pay; DeBonis earned $43,221 and Ortiz earned $46,864, according to public records.

The NJ.com report said Ortiz allegedly agreed to accept $2,000 to reduce someone's water and sewer bills. That person was not named.

Ortiz was charged with bribery and official misconduct, while DeBonis has been charged with tampering with public records and official misconduct, city officials said.

The arrests are the second time a utility employee has come under suspicion in the last few years. Edward O’Rourke, an inspector for the utility, confessed a year ago that he had lied about testing the drinking water for more than two years.

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. He was sentenced in February to three years in prison.

The arrests of Ortiz and DeBonis appear to be unrelated, however.

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