Water Company Clerk From Toms River Gets 5 Years In Bribe Case

ELIZABETH, NJ — A Toms River man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in scheme that reduced the water and sewer bills of customers of the New Brunswick Water Department in return for bribes.

Joseph "Gordo" DeBonis, 56, of Toms River, a former senior account clerk for the water department, was sentenced to five years in state prison, including two years of parole ineligibility, on Friday by Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch in Union County, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

DeBonis and William "Billi" Ortiz, 57, of North Brunswick, pleaded guilty in April 2018 to the scheme, where Ortiz and DeBonis illegally reduced water and sewer bills for roughly 50 different properties over a period of several years in return for bribes totaling approximately $20,000.

In one scheme involving both men, Ortiz, a water meter reader for the department, would solicit bribes from customers and then arrange for bill reductions through DeBonis, who had access as a senior account clerk to the city’s water and sewer database. After Ortiz received the bribe, he provided DeBonis with information about the customer’s properties, and DeBonis modified the customer’s water and sewer bills to dramatically reduce the charges.

Fees were reduced at times by as much as 90 percent. DeBonis took a share of the bribe payments in return for falsifying the bills.

Ortiz also engaged in a second type of scheme where he would solicit bribes from customers in exchange for switching out the customer’s water meter and installing a faulty, antiquated brass meter – which he nicknamed the "thief" – that would keep the customer’s bill down by failing to record water usage. Ortiz would leave the properly working electronic meter on the premises and connected to power, and he would tell the customer to swap back the electronic meter near the end of the month, so the bill would not be suspiciously low.

It is estimated the schemes cost the City of New Brunswick about $500,000.

DeBonis and Ortiz were arrested in 2016 and suspended from their jobs. Ortiz was sentenced to five years in state prison, including one year of parole ineligibility. Both men forfeited their public positions and pensions, and they are permanently barred from public employment. They are liable for restitution to the city for the stolen water and sewer services, and must forfeit the money they received in bribes.

"By taking bribes and allowing customers to steal up to half a million dollars in city utility services, DeBonis and Ortiz profited at the expense of city residents," Grewal said. "These prison sentences demonstrate that we have zero tolerance for public employees who unlawfully use their positions of trust for personal gain."

The state's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability has a toll-free Tipline 1-844-OPIA-TIPS for the public to report corruption, financial crimes and other illegal activities confidentially.

The Attorney General’s Office has an Anti-Corruption Reward Program that offers a reward of up to $25,000 for tips from the public leading to a conviction for a crime involving public corruption. Information is posted on the Attorney General’s website at: http://nj.gov/oag/corruption/reward.html.

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