The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit, Internal Affairs Section, has opened an investigation into missing money recovered from crime scenes and being stored at their headquarters, Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
“This is a sheer betrayal and disgrace of the sacred oaths taken by those who wear a badge and were involved in these appalling acts. What compounds this even more is the fact that members of the prosecutor’s office are held to an even higher standard when it comes to integrity and trust,” Suarez said in a statement.
“Every angle will be examined and we are confident that we will find who was responsible for this and hold them accountable under the law.”
In addition to the internal affairs investigation, Suarez is also calling for a full audit of other cases and a review of the procedures for the safe keeping of cash and property and has also notified the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of the situation.
“Various denominations of cash recovered from several separate cases have gone missing. All of the missing cash was recovered from scenes and was being temporarily held for safekeeping,” the county prosecutor continued.
“The money was kept in temporary storage in locked safes at the prosecutor’s office with limited access by investigative staff.”
She added that the investigation is in its very early stages and it has not been determined yet if this was limited to one or more of the investigative staff, also noting that no additional info would be released at this time so the investigation can run its course.