FEBRUARY 23, 2007
FORMER FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE
CITY OF TRENTON INDICTED
TRENTON — Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. today announced that his office’s investigation into the city of Trenton’s Finance, Account and Control Office has resulted in the indictment of the former finance director.
According to Prosecutor Bocchini, the indictment charges Helena Chris Stankiewicz, 56, of Trenton, with one count of second-degree official misconduct and one count of third-degree theft by deception.
Also named in the indictment is city accountant Damita Davis Molder, 43, of Morrisville, Pa. Molder is charged with one count of third-degree theft by deception.
The three-count indictment was returned by a Mercer County grand jury under seal on January 12, 2007, as so not to compromise a related investigation. The indictment was unsealed today by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Maria M. Sypek.
It is alleged specifically that between January 1, 2005 and August 3, 2006, Stankiewicz permitted employees under her supervision to gain compensatory time without prior approval from the city administration and inaccurately reported employee absences that resulted in unauthorized monetary compensation. The indictment states that these acts related to Stankiewicz’s office but constituted an unauthorized exercise of her official functions.
In regard to Damita Davis Molder, the indictment alleges that on various dates between June 9, 2006 and July 21, 2006, Molder committed theft by deception in that she reported working for the city when she was actually working at TAH Industries, Inc., in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
The prosecutor stated that Mayor Douglas Palmer and members of his administration brought the matter to his attention and cooperated fully with the investigation.
The investigation was conducted by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit. Assistant Prosecutor Doris Galuchie, chief of the Economic Crime Unit, presented the case to the grand jury.
Stankiewicz and Molder are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Monday, February 26, in Mercer County Superior Court.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.