Point Pleasant Man Sent Sexual Texts To Crime Victims He Was Supposed To Help: NJAG

TRENTON, NJ — A former investigator for New Jersey's Victims of Crime Compensation Office is accused of soliciting and making inappropriate sexual comments to victims whose applications for aid he was assigned to investigate, the state Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday.

Guilherme H. Jamarino, 47, of Point Pleasant, has been charged with second-degree official misconduct, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said, following an investigation that began with a referral by the Victims of Crime Compensation Office.

The Victims of Crime Compensation Office provides financial assistance as the payer of last resort to crime victims to help offset the economic and emotional impacts on them.

Jamarino was an investigator with the agency in Newark, authorities said, and as such was assigned to handle the cases of multiple crime victims seeking financial, housing relocation or other assistance from the agency.

Evidence obtained during the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability investigation showed that from about Dec. 9, 2021 to July 20, 2022, Jamarino used his personal cell phone to communicate via text message and social media apps with at least four victims regarding their VCCO claims, authorities said.

Jamarino is accused of sending messages to the victims, which shifted in tone and context from professional in nature to inappropriate and oftentimes sexual and explicit, authorities said.

Among the messages were photos of himself shirtless wearing a towel, and a video of himself from the neck up in the shower, authorities said.

Jamarino "allegedly sent another victim a photo of himself looking in a mirror wearing only a towel and gripping the towel in front of his groin," and then texted that victim saying, "send the address, and I’ll come get you" and included two heart-eyed emojis, and another saying "send pics, pretty lady. Full body pics if you have any," authorities said.

Authorities say Jamarino sent messages to several victims asking them to come over to his apartment, or, in another case, asking a victim what city she lived in so he could drive out to where she lived. He allegedly offered to give another victim a massage and sent the victim a picture of an undressed woman receiving a massage.

In one instance Jamarino is accused of sending a victim of gun violence a photo of himself shirtless with guns in the background, authorities said.

Several victims reported they were often upset and confused by the communications, since Jamarino was their point of contact, as the VCCO investigator, and responsible for supporting their claims process, authorities said.

Jamarino was subject to the State Uniform Ethics Code, authorities said, which provides that "[n]o State officer or employee … should use or attempt to use his/her official position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for him/herself or others."

Jamarino was fired on July 25, 2022, authorities said.

Three women have filed lawsuits against the state and the Victims Crime and Compensation Office alleging they reported Jamarino's behavior and their complaints initially were ignored, NJ.com reported.

"The mission of the VCCO is to compassionately serve New Jersey crime victims in a manner that is mindful of the trauma they have suffered and their right to be treated with fairness, compassion and respect. The alleged conduct of the defendant made a mockery of that mission," Platkin said. "His alleged misuse of his authority to engage in sexual communications with VCCO victims was a violation of his professional duties and the law, and a betrayal of the trust those victims placed in him and the VCCO. We intend to hold him fully accountable for his conduct and the immense harm it caused those he had a duty to assist."

"Let me be clear – the defendant’s alleged conduct in this case is not reflective of the dedicated men and women of the VCCO," Platkin said. "These alleged actions are the antithesis of the compassionate, trauma-informed service that crime victims receive every day from the VCCO."

"As alleged, the evidence revealed that this defendant exploited his position as a VCCO investigator to gain access to – and prey on – vulnerable and traumatized crime victims who, no doubt, were well aware of the sway he held over their ability to obtain the financial assistance they desperately needed to move forward with their lives,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “No one turning to a government agency for help should ever be exploited in this way."

A pre-indictment conference is set for Aug. 9, in Superior Court in Essex County.

The criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The charge of second-degree official misconduct carries a sentence of five to 10 years in prison, including a mandatory period of five years of parole ineligibility, and a fine of up to $150,000.

Anyone who believes they were a victim of Jamarino’s conduct is asked to call Detective Elizabeth Lansing of OPIA at 609-376-6701. OPIA has a toll-free Tipline 1-844-OPIA-TIP for the public to report corruption.

The AG’s Office has an Anti-Corruption Reward Program that offers a reward of up to $25,000 for tips leading to a conviction for a crime involving public corruption: http://nj.gov/oag/corruption/reward.html.