Former Chief Of Staff To NJ Senate Leader Sentenced On Fraud Charges

ELIZABETH, NJ — A Union County man and New Jersey Senate President Nick Scutari’s former chief of staff was sentenced Monday for his role in a conspiracy that involved manipulating invoices for several campaigns, political action committees and 501(c)(4) organizations, which resulted in him pocketing some of the proceeds, federal officials said.

Antonio "Tony" Teixeira, 44, of Elizabeth, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and three years of probation, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Teixeira previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of tax evasion.

Teixeira conspired with Sean Caddle -a former Hudson County political consultant - as well as Caddle’s political consulting firms, to overcharge various campaigns, political action committees, and other organizations of $107,800 between 2014 and 2018, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. Teixeira also never reported this income on tax forms that he filed with the IRS during those same years, Sellinger said.

Teixeira and Caddle also conspired to manipulate the invoices that Caddle’s consulting firms submitted to the campaigns, PACs and 501(c)(4)s with illegitimate campaign-related expenses, Sellinger said, adding that Caddle and Teixeira had padded the invoices and split the difference between Caddle’s actual campaign expenses.

Caddle then paid a portion of Teixeira’s cut to him in cash and funneled the rest via checks made out to Teixeira’s relatives to hide the paper trail, Sellinger said. In total, Teixeira reportedly received more than $100,000 in the scheme.

Although Teixeira pocketed the money and used the money for personal expenses, he never reported the money on the tax forms that he filed with the IRS during the course of the scheme, said authorities.

Teixeira resigned from his position in October 2022, according to a statement from Scutari's office in 2022.

Teixeira also stepped down from positions at the Elizabeth Democratic Party and Union County Board of Elections, according to Politico New Jersey.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.