Jersey City Police Officer Admits Fraud Involving Off-Duty Work Assignments

NEWARK, N.J. – A Jersey City, New Jersey, police officer today admitted defrauding Jersey City by obtaining compensation for off-duty work that he did not perform, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. 

David Ortmann, 53, of Carlstadt, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Private contractors and utility companies sometimes needed the services of off-duty Jersey City police officers for certain projects, including work in Jersey City that could obstruct the flow of traffic. Ortmann was an officer who was eligible to perform off-duty work.

From July 2015 through May 2016, Ortmann conspired with a Jersey City officer who was authorized to assign off-duty work. The officer – with Ortmann’s knowledge and consent – submitted phony vouchers to Jersey City indicating that Ortmann had completed certain off-duty assignments. As a result, Ortmann was compensated for work he never performed.

Ortmann 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, Ortmann must forfeit the $12,617 he made as part of the conspiracy. Sentencing is set for Jan. 3, 2018.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy A. Gallagher in Newark, with the investigation.  

The Jersey City Police Department is cooperating with the investigation.   

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Michael P. Koribanics Esq., Clifton, New Jersey