NJ Court Officer Mishandled $1.5M In Funds: Bergen County Prosecutors

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ —A former New Jersey court officer who now lives in Florida was arrested last week and accused of misappropriating $1.5 million in funds, prosecutors said Thursday.

Bruce Piekarsky, 69, of Davie, Fla. was arrested Thursday after an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, they said.

He was charged with theft, misapplication of entrusted property, and tampering with public records, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that "In September 2023, the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts referred information to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit regarding an allegation of misappropriation of funds involving a former court officer who was responsible for money collection pursuant to civil court orders."

Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit began an investigation into the alleged activity.

"The comprehensive, months-long investigation revealed that Bruce Pierkarsky mishandled funds that he was entrusted to collect beginning in 2014. Specifically, an audit of his activity revealed approximately $1.5 million in missing funds that were collected in his capacity as an officer of the court."

On Thursday he was arrested in Paramus by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

He was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.