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Policeman facing 33 charges of theft, others
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Posted on Sep 02 2004
A police officer who allegedly began illegally collecting payroll money in the tens, then a few hundreds, and then thousands finally got busted, resulting in yesterday’s filing of 33 charges against him, including illegal use of public supplies, services, time, and personnel; theft; and theft by deception.
The Attorney General’s Office Criminal Division yesterday filed the public corruption charges against Edward C. Maratita Jr., a police officer II, who allegedly amassed over $6,380 in government payroll from November 2003 to April 2004.
In the information, chief prosecutor and deputy attorney general Clyde Lemons Jr. said that on or about Nov. 29, 2003, Maratita unlawfully obtained $54.28 as payroll issued by the government “when in fact he was not performing any function that would entitle him to wages to be paid from the coffers of Commonwealth treasury.”
The same act was allegedly made by the defendant on or between Nov. 30, 2003 and Dec. 13, 2003, raising the value now to $423.93 in government payroll.
On Dec. 14 to Dec. 27, Maratita allegedly took without consent a total of $845.31 in payroll.
The same trend allegedly continued on Dec. 28, 2003 to Jan. 10, 2004 with $798.78; Jan. 11 to Jan. 24, 2004 with $643.67; Jan. 25 to Feb. 7, 2004 with $1,121.89; Feb. 8 to Feb. 21, 2004 with $796.18; Feb. 22 to March 6, 2004 with $506.66; March 7 to March 20, 2004 with $1,013.31; March 25, 2004 with $82.72; and on April 5, 2004 with $93.06.
For every alleged illegal taking of payroll, Maratita was charged with the illegal use of public supplies, services, time and personnel; theft; and theft by deception.
The AGO said that Maratita can be held liable for “unlawful use of public supplies, services, time and personnel or equipment for his private gain [when he] was in fact not performing any function that would entitle him to wages to be paid from the coffers of the Commonwealth treasury.”
Maratita was also charged with theft and theft by deception for unlawfully “taking in receipt of the money when in fact he was not performing any function that would entitle him to the wages.”
Maratita is allegedly “absent without leave” from the Department of Public Safety for several months now.
