Crime & Safety
Former Shore Regional Admin Pleads Guilty To Theft Of School Funds, Official Misconduct: Prosecutor
Dennis Kotch, 41, Wall Township, hired an unauthorized intern to do much of his work, took 22 days off without using vacation time or leave
FREEHOLD – The former business administrator for the Shore Regional High School district pleaded guilty Monday to a multitude of charges related to the theft of school funds, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.
Dennis Kotch, 41, of Wall, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of second-degree official misconduct, two counts of third-degree theft, two counts of theft by unlawful taking, one count of misapplication of entrusted property and one count of insurance fraud.
He pleaded guilty before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley. The Prosecutor's Office is recommending a non-jail sentence, as long as Kotch makes restitution of $30,020 to the school district, permanently forfeits any future public office and does community service, Gramiccioni said.
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He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4 before Oxley.
A nearly year-long investigation was sparked by a complaint from the district that Kotch may had been involved in the theft of district funds. The investigation revealed that Kotch, without Board of Education approval, hired a paid intern from January 2015 to May 2016.
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"This intern was paid to do work that was Kotch’s responsibility, much of which was done by the intern remotely from Florida where she was attending college," Gramiccioni said. "The intern was paid $27,439.95 over this time period.'
The investigation also revealed Kotch spent 22 work days out of the district, often out-of-state, without using vacation time or other leave time.
Kotch must also pay the district back $27,439 for the intern's unauthorized salary, and $2,581,will be required to pay the school district back for the unauthorized monies paid to the intern, $27,439.95, and an additional $2,581.04, the total of his per diem rate for 3.5 days. That represents the difference between the 22 days he was out of the district and his 18.5 vacation days he had accrued when he resigned, Gramiccioni said.
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