Will Gov. Christie's Fraud Squad Investigate Lt. Gov. Guadagno?

For Immediate Release:


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's new pension fraud squad won't need to look far to find their first case.

They could start by examining a $245,000 pension abuse involving Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Christie's running mate and second-in-command. If not, the governor and the unit he created by executive order may be guilty of first-degree hypocrisy.

As Monmouth County sheriff, Guadagno made false statements that enabled her chief aide to collect both a pension and salary, totaling $172,500 a year.

While double-dipping is often legal, this case is different. New Jersey Watchdog found Guadagno lied to help her aide get two checks instead of one.

Under state statute: "Any person who shall knowingly make any false statement or shall falsify or permit to be falsified any record or records of this retirement system...shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."

The full story is now online at http://newjersey.watchdog.org. The direct link to the article is http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2013/08/08/8821/. Please direct media inquires to Mark Lagerkvist at mark@NJwatchdog.org.