Police chief charged
with stealing from charity
BY JONATHAN TAMARI,
app.com on the Web, April 25, 2007
TRENTON -- The longtime police
chief of a quiet Gloucester County borough was charged Tuesday with stealing
$150,000 from the nonprofit organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving, where he
had served as New Jersey state chairman and a national board member.
N. Frank Winters, the police chief in Clayton and a borough councilman in
Newfield, who once ran for state office with an anti-corruption stance, was
charged with stealing by allegedly placing bogus orders for MADD promotional
materials to a company he and his wife, Bernice, owned.
While MADD never received the trinkets, such as pens and key chains, the couple
collected at least 80 checks from the nonprofit, said Attorney General Stuart
Rabner. They used the money for mortgage payments, car expenses, American
Express bills and dining out, Rabner said.
The $150,000 allegedly stolen represents about a full year's budget for MADD's
New Jersey chapter, said Teresa Stevens the organization's state executive
director.
"It's a sad day when a law enforcement official, sworn to uphold the law,
carries out a series of fraudulent acts. It is sadder still when anyone
steals money from a charity, money that was intended to combat drunk driving and
the horrific consequences that flow from it," Rabner said at a news conference.
The husband and wife were each charged with conspiracy and theft by deception.
Frank Winters told the Associated Press the allegations are "absolute nonsense"
and said the items ordered for MADD were delivered. "It's preposterous,
and we're going to find out why and what this is," he said, according to the AP.
As a Republican candidate for state Assembly in 2005, Frank Winters told the
Courier-Post his top priorities were property tax reform, ending corruption and
eliminating wasteful government spending.
He earns $86,812 as chief of the 15-person police force in Clayton, a small,
solidly blue-collar town of 7.2 square miles and about 7,000 people. He
has been chief since 1984.
The Gloucester County prosecutor's office has taken over day-to-day control of
the police department.
Stevens said she was "saddened" by the accusations. She said MADD asks
board members to reveal ties to companies that do business with the
organization, but Winters violated the disclosure policy.
Frank Winters, 60, and Bernice Winters, 56, both volunteered for MADD locally
and had each served as state chairs.
Frank Winters worked with the organization for at least a decade, Stevens said,
but he stopped volunteering about three years ago. That would place the
end of his work around the same time he allegedly wrapped up his scheme.
Rabner said the orders to Winters' company, Holiday House, were placed from July
2001 to March 2004.
Stevens said she believes there is a "good chance" MADD can recoup some of the
stolen money if Winters is convicted.
"We're on a very, very lean operation here," Stevens said. "We depend on
our volunteers to do much of the programming."
Rabner said Winters could be removed from his post as a councilman in Newfield,
which he has held since January. Decisions about Winters' status as a
Clayton employee are left to the borough. Officials in Clayton and
Newfield did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The charges each carry sentences of up to 10 years and fines of up to $150,000.
The accused couple is scheduled to appear in court in Newfield May 1.
Jonathan Tamari:
jtamari@gannett.com
|
