Ex-Jersey City cop pleads guilty to stealing $55k in illegal off-duty job scheme

A former Jersey City police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing around $55,000 in an illegal off-duty job scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick announced.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Anthony Iannicco, 48, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and accept corrupt payments.

Iannicco was a police officer with the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) from 1995 to 2016. From 2008 through 2016, his duties included serving as the “assistant pick coordinator” for Jersey City’s West District.

As the assistant pick coordinator, Iannicco assigned police officers to off-duty details.

Under Jersey City’s municipal code, off-duty police officers were not permitted to receive cash payments directly from off-duty employers.

Instead, the employers were supposed to pay Jersey City, which would then pay the off-duty police officers, minus certain fees, taxes and deductions, including an administrative fee payable to Jersey City per hour that the off-duty police officers worked.

Iannicco admitted to conspiring with numerous employers to cut Jersey City out of the process of hiring and compensating off-duty police officers.

Generally, Iannicco permitted these employers to operate at worksites without the presence of a police officer when such a presence was required.

In exchange, Iannicco accepted cash payments directly from these employers in violation of Jersey City rules and regulations.

Furthermore, Iannicco provided fraudulent off-duty employment vouchers to another police officer, identified in the information as “Co-Conspirator 1,” falsely representing that Co-Conspirator 1 completed off-duty assignments that Co-Conspirator 1 never worked.

Jersey City then subsequently paid Co-Conspirator 1 based on these fraudulent vouchers. In exchange for providing these fraudulent vouchers, Iannicco accepted cash payments from Co-Conspirator 1.

Altogether, from 2011 to 2016, Iannicco collected payments of approximately $55,000 directly from off-duty employers and from Co-Conspirator 1.

Iannicco faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Iannicco is required to forfeit the $55,000 that he received. Sentencing is set for October 3.

The Jersey City police department’s off-duty security details have been under investigation by the FBI, highlighted first by Juan Romaniello pleading guilty to accepting $230,000 in corrupt payments back in September.

His sentencing has been postponed several times and is currently scheduled for December 11.