Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy. (Photo: OCPO)
The mayor of Ocean Gate borough was hit Friday with corruption charges after prosecutors say he kept public parking meter revenue for himself, pocketed the proceeds of the disposal of surplus items on a government auction website as well as sold the town’s furniture through Facebook.
Paul Kennedy, 66, of Ocean Gate,is accused of official misconduct and theft. He turned himself in to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office where he was processed and released on a summons.
The charges, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement, are the result of an “extensive investigation” conducted by its Professional Standards/Corruption Unit and Economic Crime Squad. The investigation revealed that Kennedy, in his capacity as mayor, “failed to turn over proceeds from the sale of borough assets ” sold by way of the government auction website GovDeals.com, and instead took possession of those proceeds for his own personal benefit.
The investigation, the statement said, further revealed that Kennedy failed to deposit borough parking meter funds in the borough’s bank account, and that he sold borough office furniture through a private Facebook Marketplace account, “attempting to keep the proceeds for his personal benefit.”
Kennedy will be required to appear in court to face the charges at a later date.
