Reader says crime really does pay in Bergen County
Wow, crime really does pay in Bergen County. He just got off with no jail time, a “sorry”, and his initial downpayment was only $64,337.55, not the $69,000 agreed to in the initial plea deal. The check was handed to the Bergen County prosecutor, not any Village representative. How do we know we get the check ?
The deal calls for Rica, who also forfeited his $30,000 pension and $8,000 accumulated leave, to pay the village $2,000 a month for five years, for a total of $120,000. Ridgewood will also keep $4,000 it seized during a search of Rica’s home following his arrest.
That puts Rica’s restitution at $226,000, of which he’s only paying back $184,337.55; the rest comes from his forfeited pension and accumulated leave, and the $4,000 (16,000 quarters) seized during his arrest. He stole over $460,000, so the Village is out here $234,000.
How is this justice for the Village ? How did this guy get such a sweetheart deal ? Where are the other arrests if he did have leverage ? I hope the Record and Ridgewood News and the Village Council have answers for us.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ex-ridgewood-inspector-apologizes-for-stealing-nearly-half-a-million-dollars-in-quarters-1.1048475#sthash.OiBbpqsu.dpuf
Where did the other money go? Even if he paid his mortgage with it, can’t we go after the bank to recover stolen funds? Or take his house and cars. They do it with drug dealers all the time.
This story makes no sense. I am guessing that the biggest issue is that the village had so few controls they cannot even prove how much was stolen. The result was a weak legal case and the result was this terrible plea bargain.
At best, some very lazy work by the Prosecutor, and at worst, Rica had some kind of leverage over the Village that would have caused serious problems and embarrassment to someone had it come out in a trial.
Shameful. I look forward to seeing Mr Rica spending his windfall this summer at our outdoor eateries.
#1 my guess is that he is not the only one who was dipping in. The sheer weight of that much coinage makes it improbable that one person was able to steal so much over that period of time without being noticed.
#2 For the reasons stated above, I think your second scenario is far more likely.
Well if he admitted in court to stealing $460,000, the IRS should be seeing if he paid income taxes on it.
If he didn’t… the fed’s won’t be giving him the same kind of sweat deal.
Is the IRS going to tax this person on his ill gotten gains? If he cannot pay the tax then maybe he can finally go to prison.
to # 2 yes so so so true.
If the Village charges interest on unpaid property taxes, why aren’t they charging Rica interest on his quarter theft payments? As for the “apology”, this person betrayed the public trust – he can say sorry to the Feds https://www.irs.gov/uac/How-Do-You-File-a-Whistleblower-Award-Claim-Under-Section-7623-(a)-or-(b)
How did he get rid of the 1,840,000 quarters?? Surely he had help. The prosecutor is covering for someone.
hey that’s what happen to people who bull shit every one around them. and he was one good one.
For reference that’s 23,000 lbs of metal based on a quarter weighing 0.0126 lbs. Assume he worked 300 days a year. He would have had to steal 8 lbs a day for 10 years. I don’t buy it.
The Village would really have no way of knowing how much was really stolen. Could have been much more…
sure it was. some one knows . a k a the new lap dog.