On Friday, it was announced that a former Jersey City, New Jersey police officer had been sentenced to 18 months in prison for paying bribes in order to acquire compensation for off-duty work, which he did not perform. 35-year-old Michael O’Leary of Jersey City had previously pled guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Private contractors and utility companies sometimes use the services of off-duty police officers when their work could obstruct the flow of traffic.
O’Leary was eligible to perform off-duty work. From November of 2013 through April of 2016, the defendant engaged in a conspiracy in which he paid bribes to another officer who was authorized to assign off-duty work. In exchange, the officer submitted phony vouchers to Jersey City showing that O’Leary had completed certain off-duty assignments. As a result, O’Leary was compensated for work never performed.
Michael O’Leary has also been sentenced to two years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay restitution of $113,145. The Jersey City Police Department is cooperating with the investigation. Additional details have been made available here.
