Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on May 4, Paul Kennedy, 66, of Ocean Gate, was charged with Official Misconduct and Theft.
According to Prosecutor Billhimer, these charges are in addition to those served upon Kennedy on March 18 for Official Misconduct and Theft in relation to his capacity as Mayor of the Borough of Ocean Gate – a position in which he continues to serve.
The investigation revealed that Kennedy, in his capacity as Mayor of Ocean Gate, collected cash from the sale of scrap metal originating in the Borough Recycling Center and then failed to turn over the proceeds to the Borough.
According to the investigation, likewise, as Mayor, Kennedy converted funds donated by contributors to “Friends of Ocean Gate” for his re-election campaign, as well as the campaign of his running mates, for his personal benefit.
It was also discovered during the investigation that Kennedy leveraged his position with the Ocean County Buildings and Grounds Department by requiring certain employees within the Department to perform construction work at his home located at East Lakewood Avenue in Ocean Gate - while those employees were working during business hours for the County of Ocean.
According to Prosecutor Billhimer, Kennedy was processed at the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office this morning and released on a summons pending a future court date.
Prosecutor Billhimer said that Kennedy had previously been charged on March 18 with Official Misconduct and Theft for failing to turn over proceeds from the sale of assets belonging to the Borough of Ocean Gate - sold by way of the government auction website GovDeals.com – and instead took possession of those proceeds for his own personal benefit.
Detectives also discovered 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, likewise attempting to keep those proceeds for his personal benefit. Kennedy was charged on a summons and released pending a future court date relative to the March 18 charges as well.