Suzanne Eyman, 44, of Bordentown, N.J.,a suspended bookkeeper for the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) pleaded guilty today to using her state position to steal nearly $300,000 from the State of New Jersey. According to the State Attorney generals office, Eyman submitted phony bills to the state for services purportedly provided to disabled clients, then, she had the payments go to her.
Suzanne Eyman, 44, of Bordentown, N.J., who previously was suspended without pay from her position as head bookkeeper for the DDD, pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Eyman be sentenced to five years in state prison. She must pay full restitution to the state of $296,216. In addition, she must forfeit her job and will be permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey. Eyman’s husband was initially charged with receiving funds in the scheme, but the state dismissed the charge against him. Eyman is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2017.
Deputy Attorney General Mallory Shanahan prosecuted Eyman and took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau, which conducted the investigation. The case was referred to the Division of Criminal Justice by the Division of Developmental Disabilities after the DDD discovered that Eyman had been submitting false payment vouchers and receiving direct deposits and checks from the State Department of Treasury as a result.
The DDD contracts with vendors who provide care to disabled individuals. As head bookkeeper, Eyman was responsible for collecting the invoices and supporting documents submitted by vendors and entering the information into a computer database to electronically submit the vouchers to Treasury for payment. In August 2006, Eyman established an individual named “Suzanne Muller” as a purported vendor for the DDD, using her husband’s Social Security number. Over the next nine years, excluding a break of three years between 2009 and 2012, Eyman submitted false vouchers from the DDD for Suzanne Muller that caused Treasury to issue over 100 checks and payments totaling $296,216, which were either mailed to an address used by Eyman or direct-deposited into bank accounts she controlled.
“It’s outrageous that a public employee responsible for disbursing funds for the care and assistance of people with disabilities and their families would instead corruptly steal those funds for her own enrichment,” said Attorney General Porrino. “She callously betrayed the vulnerable population she was supposed to serve as well as the trust placed in her as a public servant.”
“This prison sentence sends a warning to public employees who think they can divert government funding and steal from the taxpayers of New Jersey,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We’ll remain vigilant to protect public resources and enforce a culture of integrity in government.”
In many instances, the data keyed into the DDD’s voucher system by Eyman revealed that she was using information from legitimate invoices to create fraudulent vouchers to be paid to “Suzanne Muller.” Once Eyman logged the valid invoices into the computer, she would then submit them a second time, changing either the client’s identity or the service date slightly and altering the payee’s name to “Suzanne Muller.” Beginning in October 2012, Eyman fraudulently established “Suzanne Muller” as a respite provider for the DDD and falsely billed the state for respite provider services that were never actually rendered. Respite providers provide care to a child or adult with special needs in order to provide temporary relief to families who are caring for that child or adult.
Attorney General Porrino thanked the Division of Developmental Disabilities for conducting an initial investigation and referring the matter to the Attorney General’s Office. Porrino commended the detectives from the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau who conducted the investigation for the Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has a toll-free Corruption Tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities confidentially. The public can also log on to the Division webpage at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.
Defense Attorney: Terry Bruce Stomel, Esq., Adler, Stomel & Tucker, P.A., Bridgeton, N.J.
