DOING THE PUBLIC’S WORK: The Government Records Council may be the governor’s best ally.

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

The New Jersey agency entrusted with ensuring access to public records may be Gov. Chris Christie’s biggest ally for keeping a pension scandal secret in an election year.

After a sudden decision last year not to review state Treasury documents that could incriminate Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno – Christie’s running mate – the Government Records Council sat on the case five months before transferring it to the Office of Administrative Law.

CONCERNS: Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno face re-election in November.

The council voted in December to punt the case to OAL. Yet GRC staff waited until this month to send the file, despite an assurance the referral would only take a week or two.

“The delay was due to a work backlog in the Government Records Council,” said spokeswoman Lisa Ryan. She would not elaborate.

As a result, a 2-year-old appeal by New Jersey Watchdog returns to Square One. It now appears unlikely the case will decided – or documents released – until after the November election.

The circumstances raise doubt on whether GRC can be trusted with disputes over executive branch records. All members of the council are either Christie cabinet members or gubernatorial appointees. GRC’s executive director, Brandon Minde, is Christie’s former assistant legal counsel.

Ironically, Christie campaigned on a platform of reform and open government when he was elected governor in 2009.

The contested records involve an alleged pension scheme while Guadagno was Monmouth County sheriff. The story was first reported by New Jersey Watchdog in 2010.

Treasury officials gathered the documents during an inquiry of whether Guadagno’s chief officer, Michael W. Donovan Jr., improperly collected nearly $85,000 a year in state retirement pay in addition to his $87,500 annual salary.

In 2008, Guadagno hired Donovan, a retired investigator for the county prosecutor, as the sheriff’s “chief of law enforcement division.” She announced the appointment in a memo to her staff. The sheriff’s official website subsequently identified Donovan as “sheriff’s officer chief,” supervising 115 subordinate officers and 30 civilian employees.

But Donovan faced a legal problem. As a sheriff’s officer chief — a position covered by the pension system — Donovan should have been required to stop receiving pension checks, plus resume his contributions to the state retirement fund.

So Guadagno apparently lied about Donovan’s job title, enabling her chief officer to double-dip.

In county payroll records, the oath of office and a news release, Donovan was listed as the sheriff’s “chief warrant officer” — a similar sounding, but low-ranking position that’s exempt from the pension system. A chief warrant officer is responsible for serving warrants and other legal documents.

On Guadagno’s organizational chart, Donovan was listed as chief of law enforcement. The position of chief warrant officer cannot be found on the chart.

The following year, Donovan campaigned for Guadagno and Gov. Chris Christie as Monmouth County chairman of the “Law Enforcement for Christie-Guadagno” team in the gubernatorial election. (Click here for New Jersey Watchdog’s story on LECG’s 12 double-dippers.)

While sheriff’s chief, Donovan pocketed $227,000 in checks from the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System. Since he did not re-enroll in PFRS, he avoided another $18,000 in contributions. If the state decides Donovan violated pension law, he could be forced to repay $245,000.

The stakes are also high for Guadagno. 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 Treasury failed to take conclusive action after its review. Not satisfied with the result, the PFRS Board of Trustees voted in May 2011 to call for a criminal investigation of Donovan — plus parallel instances involving John Dough, of Essex County, and Harold Gibson, of Union County.

The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice. However, the DCJ investigation is riddled with potential conflicts of interest. Guadagno is DCJ’s former deputy director; she held the post from 1998 to 2001.

Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, a Christie appointee, is ultimately in charge of the probe of fellow cabinet member Guadagno. Chiesa is former chief legal counsel to Christie.

Christie has not publicly addressed the issue of whether an independent prosecutor should be appointed to handle the case. Spokespeople for Christie and Guadagno have declined to comment. Representatives for Chiesa have not responded to questions about the investigation.

The records battle began in March 2011 with an OPRA request by New Jersey Watchdog. When Treasury officials refused to release the documents, New Jersey Watchdog filed its complaint with GRC.

In its July 2012 decision, GRC ordered Treasury to produce the records for an in-camera review to determine which records, if any, should be released to New Jersey Watchdog.

Treasury appealed to the Appellate Division of Superior Court. The motion by the Attorney General on behalf of Treasury was opposed by briefs from New Jersey Watchdog and GRC.

In November, the court upheld the GRC’s authority to review the records.  But rather than proceed with the case, the council suddenly quit.

“Because of the nature of the subject of this complaint, this complaint should be referred to the Office of Administrative Law…” according to a draft of the GRC staff recommendation released just before the Dec. 18 meeting.

But as soon as the meeting began, the council went into executive session to discuss the case in private – and change the wording of the resolution it would adopt.

When the public was invited to return, the reference to “the nature of the subject of this complaint” and its political inference had disappeared. The council claimed GRC did not have the resources or staff to finish the case it had been working on for a year-and-a-half.

Nearly five months later, GRC finally sent the file with a two-paragraph transmittal letter to OAL, an agency that rarely handles public records disputes.

“We ask that you consider scheduling this case for a hearing as expeditiously as possible,” wrote GRC’s Minde.

At OAL, the administrative law judges are also gubernatorial appointees. The chief judge presides over the office and reports directly to Christie.

Any decision by OAL is subject to appeal in the courts.

The post NJ records council helps Christie avoid election year scandal appeared first on Watchdog.org.

END IT:Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, Is pushing a bill to stop retired school administrators from double-dipping by collecting both pensions and salaries from post-retirement school jobs.

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

A New Jersey assemblyman is pushing a bill to stop retired school administrators from double-dipping by collecting both public pensions and salaries from post-retirement school jobs.

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, cited an investigation by New Jersey Watchdog and NBC 4 New York that found 45 retired superintendents employed as interim school administrators, collecting $4 million a year in pension pay plus their executive salaries.

“There are retirees who are earning generous salaries while collecting pensions, and the worst part is that they are not breaking any laws because the current system allows this to happen,” said Caputo. “The state is in no position to just be giving away money.”

Ross

For example, Ralph E. Ross collected $292,272 last year – $149,256 in salary as interim superintendent of Deptford Township schools in Gloucester County, plus $143,016 from pension as retired superintendent of Black Horse Pike Regional schools in Camden County.

“I don’t apologize for any money I get,” said Ross, who now pockets his pension plus $136,500 in salary as interim chief at Monroe Township schools in Gloucester County. “My services are worthwhile and appreciated.”

Existing state law allows retired administrators to work for up to two years in an interim positions without losing any benefits. There is no limit on the number of times they can hold interim jobs.

“As the New Jersey Watchdog and NBC 4 New York investigation revealed, these individuals are taking advantage and profiting from an opportunity that the state created,” said Caputo. “The state is no financial shape to allow this to continue. Sorry folks, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

Caputo’s bill, A-3523, would require retired administrators to quit collecting retirement pay when they return to public school jobs, plus resume contributions to the state Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund.

The existing statute was intended to help districts fill key openings with experienced administrators as they search for permanent replacements. But some districts wind up with revolving doors of well-connected temporary chiefs who get two public paychecks, not just one.

LONGEVITY: Butler has held 23 jobs as an interim or temporary chief at public school districts in eight different counties, according to his resume.

Perhaps no one has passed through those doors as frequently as Thomas Butler.

At age 56, Butler retired in 1994 as superintendent of Chester Township schools in Morris County. Since then he has held 23 jobs as an interim or temporary chief at public school districts in eight different counties, according to his resume.

While continuing to draw six-figure salaries from taxpayers, Butler has pocketed $1.4 million in state pension checks.

“I’m in this just to help the district out,” said Butler, who currently gets $212,340 a year – $135,000 as interim superintendent of Mendham Borough schools and $77,340 from pension.

The brunt of double-dipping falls on the state’s troubled pension system, which faces a shortfall of nearly $42 billion.

Caputo said the salary cap Gov. Chris Christie imposed on school superintendents contributes to the problem because it creates an incentive for administrators to retire, then start double-dipping.

“They are earning more as retirees than they would if they were not retired,” said the assemblyman. “That makes no sense.”

Click here to read the original investigative report published by New Jersey Watchdog.  Click here to watch the report aired by NBC 4 New York.

Contact Mark Lagerkvist at mark@newjerseywatchdog.org

The post NJ assembly bill aims to end double dips by retired school chiefs appeared first on Watchdog.org.

PROSECUTOR AND THE BEAR: Mercer County prosecutor Joseph Bocchini Jr., left, and Joe Derrico, the “disabled” Hamilton cop turned roughhousing repo man on reality TV.

NJ prosecutor disobeys law; TV repo cop gets disability pay

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini has three strikes against him in the controversy surrounding Joe Derrico, the “disabled” Hamilton cop turned roughhousing repo man on reality TV.

A continuing investigation by New Jersey Watchdog delivered:

Strike one: Bocchini disobeyed the law by failing to inform state authorities when Derrico was indicted on a felony theft charge in 2010. The omission was confirmed by the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Strike two: Derrico’s ex-wife, Brit Olsen, worked as a detective on Bocchini’s staff. In spite of the conflict of interest, Bocchini did not turn the case over to other authorities for prosecution.

Strike three: Bocchini claims not to have records of the case, including the indictment and dismissal.  If true, he is violating state rules that govern record retention by county prosecutors.

The prosecutor is out of explanations.

“We are prohibited from making any additional comment on the matter,” said Casey DeBlasio, Bocchini’s spokeswoman, in a written response to New Jersey Watchdog’s findings.

Bocchini’s decisions to not report the indictment and then drop the charge against Derrico enabled the Hamilton patrolman to receive a $70,000 a year state disability pension – instead of a possible prison sentence of up to five years for theft by receiving stolen property, plus loss of retirement benefits for dishonorable service.

The story was first reported by New Jersey Watchdog and NBC 4 New York last week.

“We had no idea he was under indictment,” said John Sierchio, chairman of the police pension board when it approved Derrico’s disability retirement. Sierchio said the pension would not have been granted if the board had known.

The year after Derrico started collecting state disability pay for an injured leg, he joined the cast of “Bear Swamp Recovery,” a truTV series about the exploits of the “baddest towing team in Jersey.”

During “The Monster Truck Showdown” episode, Derrico runs after a truck, pulls a man down from the driver’s seat, throws him to the ground and climbs into the cab. In another scene, Derrico is seen brawling with opponents in a repo showdown.

“We’re going to have him re-evaluated to see if he’s really disabled,” said Sierchio. “And we’re going to send the doctor that video.”

Derrico has not responded to interview requests.

“Everything that you saw was all fake – it was all staged,” said fellow cast member P.J. Vinch in Derrico’s defense. “He can’t run, he can’t walk, he can’t play golf, he can’t go to the bathroom. Could Joey perform his duties as a police officer?  No way.”

Strike One

Vinch was also Derrico’s associate in Hiram’s Gold & Coin Exchange, a Ewing enterprise dealing in precious metals and gems.

In April 2010, three youths stole jewelry valued at several thousand dollars. Their first stop was Hiram’s, where Derrico paid them roughly $1,000 for the whole bag of jewelry, one of the youths later told police. When police arrived at Hiram’s next day, Derrico denied they had been at his store and that he bought anything from them.

Unknown to Derrico, the store had been under surveillance by Ewing police who suspected burglars were using Hiram’s to fence stolen property. Confronted by photos of the youths entering the store, Derrico changed his story.

A Mercer County grand jury indicted Derrico in July 2010 on a charge of theft by receiving stolen property – but Bocchini did not notify the Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice, as required by state statute.

The law also required the county prosecutor to notify the DCJ in writing.  DCJ, in turn, has a statutory duty to warn state pension officials.

“We did not receive any notification of an indictment on Derrico,” DCJ spokesman Peter Aseltine confirmed.  “If we had received it, we would still have it on file.”

Unaware of the charge, the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System’s Board of Trustees approved Derrico’s disability retirement in September 2010. Two weeks later, Bocchini dropped the case.

“No useful purpose would be served by further prosecution of this matter,” the prosecutor wrote in his motion to dismiss.

So far, Derrico has collected $180,000 in tax-free disability pay. If he reaches his life expectancy of age 80, Derrico’s bad leg will be good for $2.5 million.

Strike Two

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office faced a conflict of interest when it handled the investigation and prosecution of Derrico.

Brit Olsen – Derrico’s ex-wife – was a detective on Bocchini’s staff. The couple divorced in 2006. They share financial responsibility for a child.

Bocchini had the option of asking the attorney general to intervene and take over the case – an option other county prosecutors have used to avoid problematic situations. The protocol was noted in the report of the state County Prosecutor Study Commission ordered by Gov. Chris Christie.

“The Attorney General’s supersession authority is exercised infrequently, and in most instances, at the request of a county prosecutor to avoid a conflict of interest,” the report stated.

Instead Bocchini kept control of the case, which he eventually dropped.

Detective Olsen still works for the prosecutor. Her current salary is $97,309 a year, according to county records.

Strike Three

Prosecutor Bocchini claims he has no records of the indictment, dismissal or any related correspondence.

“The records of MCPO were thoroughly searched with regard to Joseph Derrico,” replied Bocchini in a letter to New Jersey Watchdog. “The search failed to reveal any documents which are responsive to your request.”

If so, Bocchini may be running afoul of state rules.  The prosecutor is required to keep the Derrico case files for at least 10 years, according to the Records Retention Schedule for county prosecutors.

The file also is missing from court records. Clerks told New Jersey Watchdog the indictment number for Derrico is “no longer valid.”

One possible explanation is the case may have been legally expunged or removed from the public record. A record of such a proceeding was not found in Mercer County court indexes.

Even if the case had been expunged, Bocchini would still be required to keep a copy of the Derrico case files until 2020 under the retention rules.

The prosecutor also may be violating the state Open Public Records Act, depending on whether the prosecutor has the files.

New Jersey Watchdog is suing Bocchini and the prosecutor’s office in Mercer County Superior Court for access to the Derrico records or an explanation of why they don’t exist. A court hearing is scheduled for next month.

Contact Mark Lagerkvist at mark@newjerseywatchdog.com

The post NJ prosecutor disobeys law; repo cop gets disability pay appeared first on Watchdog.org.

DISABLED?: Joseph Derrico (in circle) is a former New Jersey police officer who retired on disability, yet he pursues a monster truck on foot, pulls the driver out of the vehicle and tosses him to the ground in one episode of “Bear Swamp Recovery.”

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

On television, Joseph Derrico pursues a monster truck on foot, pulls the driver out of the vehicle and tosses him to the ground. He is on truTV’s “Bear Swamp Recovery,” a reality show on vehicle repos by the “baddest towing team in Jersey.”

Yet Derrico collects a police disability pension of nearly $70,000 a year. In the eyes of the State of New Jersey, the retired HamiltonTownship cop is “totally and permanently disabled” by a leg injury.

No stranger to trouble, Derrico was a criminal defendant when he retired in 2010. A MercerCounty grand jury indicted Derrico on a felony charge of theft by receiving stolen property.

The patrolman escaped with his pension intact, thanks to a secretive deal with Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini, who dropped the case when Derrico retired.

“No useful purpose would be served by further prosecution of this matter,” Bocchini said in his motion for dismissal.

If convicted, Derrico could have lost his pension. Instead, he has collected $180,000 in tax-free disability pay from the state Police and Firemen’s Retirement System. If he reaches his life expectancy of 80, Derrico’s bad leg and behavior will be good for $2.5 million.

Derrico did not respond to interview requests, and Bocchini declined comment for this story, a joint investigation by New Jersey Watchdog and NBC 4 New York.

Bocchini claims his office has no record of the indictment or dismissal of charges against Derrico. In response, New Jersey Watchdog is suing the prosecutor in Mercer County Superior Court to produce the records or an explanation of why they no longer exist.

The Derrico case illustrates the inherent weaknesses of a $200 million a year disability pension system that’s prone to abuse by police and firefighters in New Jersey, according to John Sierchio, a member of the PFRS Board of Trustees.

“There are a lot of problems with this case,” said Sierchio.

After viewing one of Derrico’s television appearances, Sierchio said state officials would take a second look.

“We’re going to have him re-evaluated to see if he really is disabled,” Sierchio said. “And we’re going to send the doctor that video.”

P.J. Vinch is a business associate of Derrico and a fellow Bear Swamp Recovery cast member. He contends the disability claim of his “close friend” is legitimate.

“He can’t run, he can’t walk, he can’t play golf, he can’t go to the bathroom,” Vinch told NBC 4 New York’s Chris Glorioso. “Could Joey perform his duties as a police officer?  No way.”

The dark side of moonlighting

The Derrico controversy began April 13, 2010, with a burglary at a residence in Hamilton Township, a suburb of Trenton.

Three youths allegedly stole jewelry valued at several thousand dollars. Their next stop was Hiram’s Gold & Coin Exchange LLC, a EwingTownship enterprise dealing in precious metals and gems. The business is similar to a pawn shop, but does not offer collateralized loans.

Derrico moonlighted as a manager and co-owner at Hiram’s. According to state records, he was a principal in Hiram’s when the business formed in 2009. And the off-duty officer was behind the counter when the youths brought their loot to the store on North Olden Avenue.

Few questions asked, Derrico paid them roughly $1,000 for the whole bag of jewelry, one of the youths later told police.

The day after the burglary, police investigators went to Hiram’s to inquire about the stolen property. Derrico denied the youths had been at his store or that he bought anything from them.

Unknown to Derrico, the store had been under surveillance by Ewing police who suspected burglars were using Hiram’s to fence stolen property, according to documents obtained by New Jersey Watchdog.

Confronted by photos of the youths entering the store, Derrico changed his story. Some of the jewelry was subsequently recovered – but not a platinum ring with a 1-karat diamond valued at $5,500, according to the burglary victims.

The MercerCounty prosecutor’s office and HamiltonTownship began an internal investigation. The following month, Derrico was indefinitely suspended from his police job. The administrative charges against him included misconduct and untruthfulness.

A grand jury subsequently indicted Derrico on July 14, 2010, on a charge of third-degree theft by receiving stolen property – an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

The pains of disability claims

Joe Derrico already had been planning to leave the Hamilton police, but under a completely different circumstance.

One month before the burglary, Derrico applied for accidental disability retirement – an especially generous type of pension that would pay him two-thirds of his $104,555 annual salary, tax-free, for the rest of his life.

Derrico told authorities his leg was injured while apprehending suspects on July 31, 2009, and again on Jan. 16, 2010. The incidents were detailed in his state pension file, obtained by New Jersey Watchdog under the Open Public Records Act.

Following the first scuffle, Derrico stated “my left leg felt like rubber and felt like it was asleep.” Six months later, the officer reported “my left leg gave out on me” when he tried to arrest a suspect at a house party.

“I feel my injury will prohibit me from doing my job safely and at the level needed, it will put me or other officers in danger,” Derrico concluded.

Details about Derrico’s diagnosis, treatment and disability evaluation were omitted from the records released by the state Treasury’s Division of Pensions and Benefits. The agency determined those documents are exempt from public disclosure.

Disability retirements are epidemic in New Jersey, where 5,447 former police and fire officials collected $196 million from state pension coffers last year, according to state Treasury data. Nearly one in five PFRS retirees receives disability pay.

“It’s astronomical – that’s crazy,” said Sierchio, a Bloomfield police detective. “Almost 20 percent of our membership retires on disability. The other 80 percent are still working, paying the bills for these guys.”

There is a strong economic incentive for police officials to make suspicious and possibly fraudulent claims – but the state does little or nothing to stop the abuses, Sierchio said.

“The State of New Jersey has an $80-billion pension system, and we have zero investigators,” he said. “We have nobody watching our money.”

Beating the pension system

Disabled or not, Derrico’s grand jury indictment threatened his plans to start collecting a pension at age 43.

“The receipt of retirement benefits is expressly conditioned upon the rendering of honorable service by a public officer or employee,” states the PFRS handbook. “Your benefits may be reduced or forfeited if you are convicted of a crime in any way related to your employment, or if you are suspended or dismissed from your employment.”

Fortunately for Derrico, PFRS did not find out about the indictment or his suspension from Hamilton police until after his pension was approved.

Despite state rules requiring county prosecutors to inform pension authorities when public employees are indicted – and for public employers to report disciplinary actions – the information never reached PFRS.

“We had no idea he was under indictment,” said Sierchio, chairman of the pension board when Derrico’s retirement was granted on Sept. 9, 2010. He said it would not have been approved if the trustees had known.

Derrico used his status as a retiree to convince the MercerCounty prosecutor to dismiss the indictment and Hamilton to end its disciplinary procedures. All charges against Derrico were dropped on Sept. 23, 2010.

By the time pension officials learned about the case against Derrico, it was too late.

“If the indictment is dropped and there are no charges, we can’t hold the gentleman responsible for anything,” Sierchio said. “The prosecutor cut a deal for whatever reason, and now the taxpayers and pension system are paying the bill. The township cut a deal to get the officer off the job, so taxpayers and the pension system are paying the bill.”

Fake or reality?

One year later, Derrico’s disability did not stop him from becoming a rough-and-tumble character on reality television.

P.J. Vinch, his associate at Hiram’s, had another business venture – a repo service called Bear Swamp Recovery. In 2011, it became the focus of a reality show bearing the same name.

The program featured Vinch and Derrico as members of a repo crew, seizing vehicles from debtors in confrontational situations. It lasted for a season of 13 episodes on truTV, a cable network of Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner.

During the show’s “Monster Truck Showdown” episode, Derrico runs after a truck, pulls a man down from the driver’s seat, throws him to the ground and climbs into the cab. In another scene, Derrico is brawling with opponents in a repo showdown.

“Everything that you saw was all fake,” Vinch told NBC 4 New York. “It was all staged. Nobody was exerting any physical activity. Nobody was actually fighting; it was mocked for TV.”

That episode first aired Oct. 19, 2011 – one year after Derrico received his first monthly disability pension check of $5,808 from New Jersey.

Even if the scenes were staged, PFRS trustee Siercho said it still raises questions that need to be answered.

“When you have a guy claiming a leg injury, and you can see him running and doing those things, to me, he’s not totally and permanently disabled,” said Sierchio.  “We’re contributing 10 percent of our salaries so this gentleman can be on reality TV show?”

Since Derrico retired less than five years ago, state authorities can order a re-examination to determine whether he is still disabled.

“He’s a model citizen; he really and truly is,” said Vinch in Derrico’s defense. “To even think he would do something that’s not above board is disgraceful.”

Meanwhile, a bill that would create a unit to investigate pension fraud has languished in the Legislature for nearly a year.

The measure – S-1913 in the Senate and A-3074 in the Assembly – also would tighten up the qualifications for disability retirements. In both chambers, the reform has been stuck in committees.

The post ‘Disabled’ cop rumbles on reality TV appeared first on Watchdog.org.

A BIG BILL: The number of public retirees in New Jersey collecting $100,000 a year and more continues to grow.

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

New Jersey’s elite $100K Club of retired public officials is growing bigger and fatter.

The number of retirees collecting more than $100,000 a year from state pensions hit 1,474 in 2012 – an increase of nearly 50 percent in two years, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of state pension data.

Former Jersey City school superintendent Charles Epps heads the list with a $195,000 annual pension.  When he stepped down last year amid controversy and a gag order, Epps also received a $268,200 settlement plus $85,000 for unused sick time, according to NJ.com.

All of the Top Five pensioners are retired school executives.  A. Z. Yamba, former president of Essex County College, is tied for the lead at $195,000.  He is trailed by John Richardson, Ridgefield Park schools, $185,454; Vincent Ascolese, North Bergen schools, $180,180; and J. T. Morton, Sparta schools, $171,773.

Among local governments, Paterson fosters the most $100,000-plus pensions with 29 retirees drawing six-figure retirement pay. The city is followed by Hoboken and Paramus, each with 22; North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue with 21; and Newark, Edison Township and Jersey City Fire Department with 19 each.

As a group, retired police and fire officials are most likely to belong to the $100K Club.  Forty-three percent, or 631, are members of the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System.

The overwhelming majority of PRFS $100K retirees – 92 percent, or 581 – took advantage of “special retirement.” It is an exclusive provision in pension law that allows law enforcement officers – but not other public employees – to start collecting big pensions at relatively young ages.

When Joseph Blaettler opted for special retirement at age 46, the former Union City deputy police chief began pocketing nearly $135,000 a year in pension checks.

“Politicians created this system, and I simply accepted what they gave me along the way,” Blaettler told New Jersey Watchdog last year. ”If taxpayers want to get angry with someone, they need to ask their local and state politicians how they allowed the system to get to the point it is at.”

If Blaettler reaches age 80, his statistical life expectancy, he will rake in more than $4.5 million from PFRS.

Lottery-sized payouts contribute to the fiscal woes of the state pension system, which faces a future shortfall of $41.7 billion, according to the latest figures released by the state Treasury.

Of the other $100K retirees, 446 are members of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund, 283 belong to the Judicial Retirement System and 114 are part of the Public Employees Retirement System.

In 2010, 992 retirees received $100,000 or more a year in state pensions.  The number increased to 1,244 in 2011 and 1,474 last year, according to state Treasury data.

The growth of the $100K Club suggests parallel increases in public employee salaries – particularly among the upper echelon of municipal officials, law enforcement officers and educators.  Final salary is a key factor in calculating a retiree’s pension.

New Jersey Watchdog’s list of the $100K Club’s 1,474 members ranked by their pension pay is available here.

‎An A-Z alphabetized list of $100K Club members is available here.

A list sorted by the retirees’ governmental employers can be found here.

The post NJ’s ‘$100K Club’ of retirees growing appeared first on Watchdog.org.

New Jersey State Lottery Deputy Director Duane Daniels hit a jackpot when he retired as a State Police captain at age 50.

BIG WINNER: Duane Daniels collects $178,296 annually from the state of New Jersey, $88,296 from his state retirement and $90,000 head of security for the state lottery.

Daniels started collecting an $88,296 annual state pension in October 2009. That same month, he was hired as the lottery’s head of security at a $90,000 salary. For Daniels, who did not respond to requests for comment, his annual payout increased to $178,296.

In this game, taxpayers don’t stand a chance. The rules are rigged in favor of Daniels and scores of other retirees. While mid-career retirements drain millions from state pension funds that face a $41.7 billion shortfall, double-dipping adds insult to voters who were promised reform.

A New Jersey Watchdog investigation found 80 State Police retirees are back on the state payroll as full-time employees. Collectively, they receive $12.8 million a year – nearly $7 million in salaries plus $5.8 million from pensions.  Of the 80 “retired” troopers:

• Twenty-two are re-employed by the State Police; 19 as investigators. They draw both State Police pensions and paychecks.
• Twenty-seven work as investigators elsewhere within the Department of Law & Public Safety, the agency in charge of the State Police. Twenty are assigned to the Division of Criminal Justice, five are under the Division of Law, and the Division of Consumer Affairs and Office of Attorney General each employ one.
• Thirty-one State Police retirees work at other state agencies, including the State Comptroller, Treasury, Education, Insurance & Banking, Secretary of State, Motor Vehicle Commission, State Parole Board, Human Services, Health and Senior Services, Information Technology and Office of Homeland Security.

Topping the list are five double-dipping State Police retirees who each rake in more than $200,000 annually:

• Drew Lieb, Homeland Security division director, gets $226,144 a year – $130,000 in salary and $96,144 from pension.
• Dennis Quinn, Homeland Security’s chief of staff, receives $210,808 a year – $130,000 in salary plus $80,808 from pension.
• Robert Cicchino, head of fiscal responsibility for the Department of Education, cashes $210,226 a year in state checks – $118,450 in salary and $91,776 from pension.
• State Parole Board member Allen DelVento collects $206,149 a year – $116,305 in salary plus $89,844 from pension.
• Assistant Insurance Commissioner Joseph Brennan draws $204,960 a year – $123,000 in salary and $81,960 in pension.

HE PROMISED REFORM: Fifteen of the 80 double-dippers retired and were rehired by the state during Gov. Chris Christie’s first three years in office.

Fifteen of the 80 double-dippers retired and were rehired by the state during Gov. Chris Christie’s first three years in office.

On average, the re-employed State Police retirees get $160,217 a year – $87,039 in salary plus $73,178 from pension. They take advantage of rules that encourage personnel to retire at relatively young ages – starting in their mid-40s – then collect benefits for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of age, they can take “service retirement” after 20 years of service to collect half of their salary – or “special retirement” after 25 years to collect 65 percent of their highest pay. For those who don’t get the hint, the State Police has a mandatory retirement age of 55.

“It’s basically a young person’s job,” Sen. Frederick Madden, former State Police deputy director, told New Jersey Watchdog last year. “The system is set up for them to retire early to keep the forces young.”

HE GETS IT TOO: Madden gets his state retirement pension as well as a salary for serving in the Legislature and as a dean at Gloucester County College.

Yet Madden, D-Gloucester, favors rehiring those retirees because of the experience that comes with age.

“There’s a lot of positives to taking retirees that have strong resumes and a productive work experience and placing them in other public jobs,” he said.

Madden is a “triple-dipper” who receives nearly a quarter-million dollars each year from public coffers, as reported by New Jersey Watchdog. In addition to his $85,272 State Police pension, Madden gets $49,000 as a state legislator and $109,390 as a dean in charge of the Police Academy at Gloucester County College.

“Obviously, I don’t have a problem with people doing it,” said Madden. “I’ve accepted that in my own personal life.”

The problem is the impact on the State Police Retirement System. SPRS is underfunded by $579 million – a shortfall that has increased 66 percent since 2006, according to the most recent fiscal data released by the state.

Even worse, the number of State Police retirees drawing pensions now exceeds the number of employees who contribute to the pension. In 2012, for the first time, there were more SPRS retirees (3,019) than active members (2,776).

In other words, there are more retirees drawing 50 percent to 70 percent of their highest salaries in pensions from SPRS than workers contributing 9 percent of their pay to the fund.

SPRS is relatively small, representing one-half of 1 percent of New Jersey’s public pension system membership. But its woes may foreshadow a fate that larger state pension funds seem likely to face.

The Police and Firemen’s Retirement System, the only other state pension to offer special retirement, is headed in the same direction. PFRS has nearly as many retirees receiving pensions (39,413) as members contributing to the fund (41,518). 

PFRS faces a shortfall of $7.7 billion. It has 18 percent of the pension system’s projected $41.7 billion deficit, though only 8 percent of the system’s members.

Despite the state’s own numbers, Christie contends the pension crisis has been solved under his leadership as governor.

“Just three years ago, our pension system was in ruins…” said Christie in his budget address on Feb. 26. “Today, our pension system is on a path to restored health.”

Following several years in which state government failed to meet its required financial obligations to the pension funds, Christie promised his 2014 budget will include a $1.6-billion annual contribution. The question is whether it’s too little and too late.

The list of 80 State Police re-employed retirees originated with tips from New Jersey Watchdog readers. The information was verified through the most recent available state pension and payroll databases, updated on Dec. 31, 2012.

The list does not include State Police retirees who work for New Jersey’s 21 county or 565 municipal governments.

A New Jersey Watchdog investigation last year counted 37 State Police retirees on the payrolls of county prosecutors. They collected a total of $6.1 million a year – $3.4 million in salaries plus $2.7 million from state pensions.

Another New Jersey Watchdog report found that Warren County Sheriff David Gallant gets $206,464 a year – $124,084 in salary plus $82,380 from his SPRS pension. Three county undersheriffs, two in Warren County and one in Salem County, also are State Police retiree. They receive a total of $503,685 a year – $246,417 in salaries and $257,268 from pensions.

NEW JERSEY WATCHDOG’S LIST OF 80 STATE POLICE RETIREES WHO COLLECT SALARY & PENSION

The post Stick ‘em up! It’s the New Jersey State Police appeared first on Watchdog.org.

Without asking any questions, the New Jersey Senate rubber-stamped Stephen J. Taylor as Superior Court judge.

THAT’S JUDGE TAYLOR: Stephen J. Taylor was approved to serve as a Superior Court judge.

The nomination of Taylor, director of the Division of Criminal Justice since 2010, sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate without dissention.  It was part of a bipartisan deal between Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Senate, as reported by the Asbury Park Press.

It is the latest twist in a political soap opera surrounding Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, an alleged $245,000 pension scheme and the upcoming gubernatorial election.

DCJ began a criminal investigation likely to implicate Guadagno at the behest of a state pension board. Spokespersons for DCJ, Christie and Guadagno have declined to comment on the probe, now 21 months old.

The case centers on false statements by Guadagno that enabled her aide to collect nearly $85,000 a year in state retirement pay in addition to his $87,500 annual salary, as first revealed by New Jersey Watchdog in 2010.

As Monmouth County sheriff in 2008, Guadagno hired Michael W. Donovan Jr., a retired county investigator, as the sheriff’s “chief of law enforcement division.” She announced the appointment in a memo to her staff. The sheriff’s official website subsequently identified Donovan as “sheriff’s officer chief,” supervising 115 subordinate officers and 30 civilian employees.

But Donovan faced a legal problem. As a sheriff’s officer chief — a position covered by the pension system — Donovan should have been required to stop receiving pension checks, plus resume his contributions to the state retirement fund.

So Guadagno lied about Donovan’s job title, enabling her chief to get two checks instead of just one. While double-dipping is generally legal in New Jersey, Guadagno’s actions raise questions of fraud and deception.

In county payroll records, the oath of office and a news release, Donovan was listed as the sheriff’s “chief warrant officer” — a similar sounding, but low-ranking position that’s exempt from the pension system. A chief warrant officer is responsible for serving warrants and other legal documents.

However, on Guadagno’s organizational chart, there was no chief warrant officer. Donovan was listed as chief of law enforcement.

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 state Police and Firemen’s Retirement System‘s board of trustees voted in May 2011 to call for a criminal investigation of the Donovan case — plus parallel instances involving John Dough, of Essex County, and Harold Gibson, of Union County.

Instead of entrusting the case to an independent prosecutor, the matter was referred to DCJ. It is conceivable the findings will never be released to the public, either before or after this year’s election.

Taylor worked on the Christie-Guadagno political campaign in 2009, before he was appointed as director of DCJ. Prior to that, Taylor worked under Christie as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s New Jersey office.

Taylor is slated to serve a seven-year term on the Superior Court bench in Morris County at a salary of $165,000 per annum.

The post Senate OKs Christie’s offer to DCJ chief appeared first on Watchdog.org.

By Mark Lagerkvist │ New Jersey Watchdog

Thomas Butler can take you to school on the study of double-dipping in New Jersey.

Since he retired as a school superintendent 18 years ago, Butler has held 23 jobs as an interim or temporary chief at public school districts in eight different counties. While continuing to draw six-figure salaries from taxpayers, he has pocketed $1.2 million in state pension checks.

BUTLER: It’s ‘to help the district out.’

At present, Butler collects $212,340 a year – $135,000 in salary as interim superintendent of Mendham Borough schools in Morris County, plus a $77,340 pension as a retired educator. He says he saves the school district money as it searches for a permanent leader.

“I’m in this just to help the district out,” Butler said.

However, the brunt of double-dipping falls on the state’s troubled pension system, which faces a shortfall of nearly $42 billion.

A New Jersey Watchdog investigation found 45 retirees have worked as interim superintendents so far during the current school year. They use a loophole in pension law to collectively receive more than $4 million annually from the state Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund in addition to executive pay from districts.

The loophole intends to help districts fill key openings with experienced administrators as they search for permanent replacements. But some districts wind up with a revolving door of well-connected temporary chiefs who get two public paychecks, not just one.

Pension rules allow retired administrators to work for up to two years in an interim position without losing any benefits. There is no limit on the number of times they ccan hold interim jobs.

“There are several people out there who have done this for a number of years. It raises great questions that ought to be discussed,” Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, told NBC 4 New York‘s Chris Glorioso.

NBC 4 New York partnered with New Jersey Watchdog to produce this report.

In Bergen County, Karen Lake gets $108,230 a year for working part-time – three days a week – as interim superintendent of Mahwah schools. She also collects $131,964 from her pension as retired superintendent of Hillsborough Township schools in Somerset County.

LAKE: ‘I took advantage of it.’

“It’s the way the system is set up,” said Lake. “I took advantage of it.”

And she’s not the only one.

“There are a lot of superintendents who are retiring and coming back to the workforce,” said longtime South Jersey school chief Ralph E. Ross Sr.

Ross collected $292,272 last year – $149,256 in salary as interim superintendent of Deptford Township schools in Gloucester County, plus $143,016 from pension as retired superintendent of Black Horse Pike Regional schools in Camden County.

ROSS: ‘I don’t apologize for any money I get.’

“Of course, people are going to call it double-dipping because you get paid twice,” Ross said. “I don’t apologize for any money I get. My services are worthwhile and appreciated.”

When Ross hit the two-year mark at Deptford, the 72-year-old retiree didn’t have to go far for his next post-retirement job. Ten miles away, the Monroe Township school district quickly hired him as its $136,500 interim assistant superintendent.

But not all retired school chiefs are content or comfortable with the double-dipping or interim employment status.

Gary Loudenslager, Ross’ replacement in Deptford, has decided to “unretire.” He is taking a job as the schools’ permanent superintendent, which will require him to give up $88,320 per annum in state pension checks for at least the next five years.

“I am doing this because I want to,” said Loudenslager. “I wasn’t ready to retire. I don’t want to be an interim; I want to be the superintendent.”

Loundenslager retired as principal of Deptford Township High School in June 2011. Six months later, he returned as an interim principal. When Ross left, the board hired him in January as interim superintendent with a $122,000 salary.

LOUNDENSLAGER: He took the interim job ‘because the financial part was very good.’

“I did become an interim because the financial part was very good,” Loudenslager said.

Last week, the school board agreed to remove “interim” from Loudenslager’s title. While his salary has not been set, he could make up to $167,500 a year. Even if he gets the maximum, he knows his total income will go down.

When Loudenslager finally retires for good, he’ll receive a second pension. He estimates the additional benefit will be less than $15,000 a year.

Double-dipping has enabled the 45 retirees and undoubtedly others to sidestep a salary cap ordered by Gov. Chris Christie in 2010. Declaring that many superintendents in local districts were overpaid, Christie set a limit on maximum pay that ranges from $177,500 a year in the largest districts to $120,000 a year in smaller districts.

The cap has caused an exodus of superintendents from New Jersey and increased the demand for interim chiefs, said Bozza, who heads a group of 1,000 New Jersey school administrators.

“These men and women who are serving in interim positions are really performing a great service,” Bozza said. “But I don’t think it should be prolonged … I think we should be looking very closely at that.”

Perhaps no one has passed through the revolving school doors as frequently as Butler.

At age 56, Butler retired in 1994 as superintendent of Chester Township schools. According to his resume, Butler has since worked as interim superintendent in the following 22 districts:

• Burlington County: Springfield Township schools
• Essex County: Highland Park, Hopewell Valley Regional and Livingston schools.
• Hunterdon County: Delaware Valley schools.
• Mercer County: East Windsor Regional, Lawrence Township and West Windsor-Plainsboro schools.
• Morris County: Chester Township, Boonton Township, Denville, Long Hill Township and Wharton schools.
• Middlesex County: Middlesex County Vocational/Technical and South Plainfield schools.
• Passaic County: Manchester Regional schools.
• Somerset County: Branchburg, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional, Montgomery Township, Somerset Hills, Somerville and Watchung Hills schools.

Butler’s 23rd post-retirement post is at Mendham Borough schools in MorrisCounty. He was hired in July 2012 on a contract that will last one year – or until the district finds a permanent chief. If the school board does not choose a new superintendent by then, it will have an option to extend Butler’s contract for another year.

“Excuse me, I’m not doing interviews,” Butler told Glorioso after a school board meeting, as he covered the reporter’s microphone with his hand.

Off-camera, Butler said he saves money for school districts because they don’t have to pay for his medical insurance or other employee benefits. However, state taxpayers are already paying for Butler’s health coverage through the pension system, not to mention the $1.2 million in retirement checks he’s collected during the past 18 years.

As of Feb. 1, there were 37 interim superintendents working in state public schools who also were drawing New Jersey pensions as retired school administrators. Here’s in New Jersey Watchdog’s list, sorted alphabetically by county:

At least eight other retirees worked as interim superintendents earlier in the 2012-2013 school year. (The number does not include Ralph E. Ross Sr., who left Deptford Township schools to take a job in Monroe Township schools.) Here is that list:

SOURCES: New Jersey Watchdog gathered the data from state pension records and employee records obtained from individual school districts through Open Public Records Act requests.

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

 THIS STORY WAS UPDATED at 6:45 a.m. March 1.

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DEAL MAKER: Gov. Chris Christie’s nomination of Stephen J. Taylor to be a Superior Court judge raises even more questions in the investigation into Lt. Gov. Kim Guadangno. (AP photo)

By Mark Lagerkvist │ New Jersey Watchdog

Gov. Chris Christie has offered a judgeship to a state official who heads the agency investigating a pension scandal involving Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Christie’s running mate.

ON THE BENCH: Taylor has been nominated to the New Jersey Superior Court.

Christie submitted the nomination of Stephen J. Taylor for Superior Court judge to the state Senate last week. Taylor, 52, has been director of the Division of Criminal Justice since he was appointed by Christie in 2010.

DCJ began the criminal investigation in 2011 at the behest of a state pension board. Spokespersons for DCJ, Christie and Guadagno have declined to comment on the probe, now 21 months old.

Taylor’s nomination is the latest twist in the political soap opera surrounding an alleged $245,000 pension scheme and an upcoming gubernatorial election.

The case centers on false statements by Guadagno that enabled her aide to collect nearly $85,000 a year in state retirement pay in addition to his $87,500 annual salary, as first revealed by New Jersey Watchdog in 2010.

As Monmouth County sheriff in 2008, Guadagno hired Michael W. Donovan Jr., a retired county investigator, as the sheriff’s “chief of law enforcement division.” She announced the appointment in a memo to her staff. The sheriff’s official website subsequently identified Donovan as “sheriff’s officer chief,” supervising 115 subordinate officers and 30 civilian employees.

But Donovan faced a legal problem. As a sheriff’s officer chief — a position covered by the pension system — Donovan should have been required to stop receiving pension checks, plus resume his contributions to the state retirement fund.

So Guadagno lied about Donovan’s job title, enabling her chief to get two checks instead of just one. While double-dipping is generally legal in New Jersey, Guadagno’s actions raise questions of fraud and deception.

In county payroll records, the oath of office and a news release, Donovan was listed as the sheriff’s “chief warrant officer” — a similar sounding, but low-ranking position that’s exempt from the pension system. A chief warrant officer is responsible for serving warrants and other legal documents.

However, on Guadagno’s organizational chart, there was no chief warrant officer. Donovan was listed as chief of law enforcement.

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 state Police and Firemen’s Retirement System‘s board of trustees voted in May 2011 to call for a criminal investigation of the Donovan case — plus parallel instances involving John Dough, of Essex County, and Harold Gibson, of Union County.

Instead of entrusting the case to an independent prosecutor, the matter was referred to DCJ. It is conceivable the findings will never be released to the public, either before or after this year’s election.

Taylor worked on the Christie-Guadagno political campaign in 2009, before he was appointed as director of DCJ. Prior to that, Taylor worked under Christie as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s New Jersey office.

If confirmed by the Senate, Taylor would serve a seven-year term on the Superior Court bench in Morris County.

As DCJ director, Taylor receives an annual salary of $138,000. As judge, his pay would go up to $165,000 per year. During his first term on the bench, Taylor would collect $1.15 million.

The post Christie to probe leader: Want to be a judge? appeared first on Watchdog.org.

HAPPY ENDING?: Timothy Carroll, left, and Thomas Rohling are co-owners of Tragic Solutions. Both men are receiving disability retirement payments from the state of New Jersey. (AP photo)

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

Timothy Carroll retired at age 33. He claimed he was “totally and permanently” disabled by the trauma of seeing dead bodies while working as a sheriff’s officer in Morris County, New Jersey.

“I suffer from crime scene flashbacks and hallucinations due to all the years I served as a crime scene detective,” stated Carroll in his disability application.

The real shock is Carroll then started a business that cleans up gory crime scenes, a New Jersey Watchdog investigation found. Yet the state continues to pay him a disability pension for life, a sum that could total $1 million or more.

Carroll’s company, Tragic Solutions LLC of Linden, N.J., specializes in removing human residue from “bloody and/or messy” scenes, including “murder, suicide, accidental, natural and decomposing deaths,” according to its website. He formed the business with Thomas Rohling, another former Morris sheriff’s officer who draws a state disability pension.

“I really don’t want to comment on this,” Carroll told NBC 4 New York, New Jersey Watchdog’s partner on the investigation.

“This says there is a problem with the whole pension system, the way the whole system is set up,” said John Sierchio, a trustee of the state Police and Firemen’s Retirement System.

PFRS paid out $175 million to 5,067 disabled retirees in 2011 — figures expected to rise when 2012 data are released.

Disability applications received by the PFRS have doubled in the past year – and 95 percent of those claims are questionable, according to Sierchio.

The supposedly career-ending incidents have included a fireman who fell out of bed while sleeping, an officer who fell off his chair while sitting down, cops who slipped on wet floors or icy sidewalks, and a patrolman who suffered emotional trauma because his lieutenant yelled at him during roll call.

“It’s people who don’t want to work anymore,” said Sierchio, a Bloomfield police sergeant who has served on the PFRS board since 2002. “The last two officers shot in New Jersey are back to work, but the guy who trips over a curb is sitting on a beach getting two-thirds (of salary) tax-free.”

In New Jersey, it’s relatively easy to fake or exaggerate an injury to get a disability pension. The PFRS has no staff to investigate fraud. Nor do any of the state’s five other retirement funds for public employees.

“No one is watching,” said Sierchio.

The Tragic Solutions case illustrates how weak laws, red tape and lack of enforcement contribute to the woes of a state pension system that faces a shortfall of nearly $42 billion. New Jersey Watchdog obtained the records through Open Public Records Act requests.

In 1999, Carroll told pension officials he was unable to work because of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression caused by what he witnessed while responding to a car accident and three suicides.

“I started having crime scene flashbacks and hallucinations in 1997,” wrote Carroll. “In September of 1998, I suffered a hallucination while working at the courthouse. I was removed from work and placed in a mental hospital.”

Carroll began receiving disability checks after the PFRS board approved his retirement effective May 1999. Five years later — in April 2004 — Carroll and Rohling formed Tragic Solutions, according to state business records. For Carroll, the timing would prove crucial.

Tragic Solutions was featured later that year in an Associated Press story on businesses that clean up crimes scenes. It included a photo of Carroll (left) and Rohling (right) posing in biohazard protection suits they wore on the job. The AP article mentioned they were retired cops, but nothing about their disability pensions.

After the PFRS board learned of Tragic Solutions, it could not halt Carroll’s disability benefits, currently $25,284 a year plus health coverage.

“In the performance of your job responsibilities with Tragic Solutions, you are exposed to crime scenes similar to those you were subjected to during your employment with Morris County as a crime scene investigator and upon which you were found disabled,” a state official scolded Carroll in a 2005 letter.

“Although there will be no action taken at this time, the facts surrounding your post-retirement employment with Tragic Solutions will become part of your pension membership file,” the correspondence concluded.

The law prevented PFRS from doing anything more. Under pension rules, there is a five-year limit on the state’s right to re-examine disability retirees to determine if they are able to return to work. Time had run out on the Carroll case.

PFRS then turned its focus to Carroll’s partner in crime scenes, Thomas Rohling.

The PFRS board had approved Rohling’s disability retirement in 2003. Rohling claimed he was “totally and permanently” disabled from injuries caused when a window valance fell on him in a Morris County courtroom. Despite conflicting reports from doctors on whether he could return to work, the PFRS board had ruled in Rohling’s favor.

Not only that, but the board had granted Rohling an “accidental disability” retirement — a more generous type of pension granted to law enforcement officers whose injuries are determined to be the result of line-of-duty accidents. As a result, Rohling currently collects $65,904 a year, tax-free.

With knowledge of his role at Tragic Solutions, the PFRS board voted in 2006 to end Rohling’s disability retirement.

“If you’re totally and permanently disabled, in my honest opinion, you shouldn’t be able to work anymore,” Sierchio said.

Rohling appealed. In 2009, an administrative law judge overturned the PFRS board’s decision. Weighing conflicting testimony from doctors, the judge ruled that Rohling still qualified for disability — despite his employment with Tragic Solutions.

Both Carroll and Rohling will draw disability pensions for the rest of their lives.

So far, Rohling has received $582,000 in accidental disability pay — a figure that would grow to $2 million by his 70th birthday. Carroll has collected $310,000 in “ordinary disability” checks. At age 73, he should hit the $1 million mark.

Rohling could not be reached for comment. Carroll refused to be interviewed, saying he has not been part of Tragic Solutions for a “long time.”

Without elaborating, Carroll suggested he got a raw deal because he was only approved for ordinary disability, but not accidental disability benefits.

“Look at the people who get rubber-stamped,” Carroll told NBC 4′s Chris Glorioso. “I got denied (for accidental disability). There is a lot of information you don’t have, and you’re not going to get it from me.”

Meanwhile, Sierchio and other reform advocates are seeking legal solutions to help the pension system avoid future tragedies.

One promising bill stalled in the Legislature last year, despite bipartisan support and the sponsorship of Senate President Stephen Sweeney.

If enacted, S-1913 would create a disability fraud unit, give pension boards a right to re-examine disability retirees beyond five years and set limits on the amount of disability pay a retiree can collect after taking another job.

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