MARGATE – A Margate firefighter was charged this afternoon with official misconduct and theft, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced today.
This afternoon, March 10, 2015, after an 8-month investigation, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit served criminal complaints through his attorney to Michael C. Palmer, 36, of Princeton Road, Somers Point, for the charges of Official Misconduct, and Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Property— both crimes of the 2nd degree.
The State alleges that Palmer, while employed by the City of Margate as a Lieutenant of the Fire Department, used his position as Secretary/Treasurer of the New Jersey Fireman’s Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA) Local 41 (Margate), to take more than $75,000 from FMBA Local 41 bank accounts between January 2011 and June 2014, and made personal use of the money.
The Prosecutor’s Office was alerted to irregularities in Margate FMBA Local 41 bank accounts in June 2014. Lt. Palmer was immediately suspended from his employment by the City of Margate, pending the outcome of the investigation.
A conviction for a 2nd degree crime carries a potential sentence of 5 to 10 years of incarceration in New Jersey State prison.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases a charged defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.***
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652- 1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.
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