Unpaid Leave For Secaucus Town Employees Accused Of Stealing Pool Chemicals

SECAUCUS, NJ — The four Secaucus town employees accused of stealing chemicals from the town pool for their private pool company have been on unpaid leave since they were arrested June 10.

The four town employees are:

• John T. Schwartz, 61: Longtime recreation facilities director for the town of Secaucus. Paid a salary of $98,093 per year. Secaucus resident.
• Frank Flanagan, 32: Special events and maintenance. Paid a salary of $62,001 per year. Secaucus resident.
• Megan Wofsy-Flanagan, 31, married to Frank Flanagan: She is an hourly employee and one of the head lifeguards. She is paid $18 an hour. Secaucus resident.
• Joseph Ferrara, 27: Hourly employee. Assistant manager of the town pool. Paid $18.87 per hour. Secaucus resident.

Schwartz was the owner of the private pool company, Crystal Clear Pool and Spa Management. The younger three worked for him.

All four were charged with theft, conspiracy to commit theft and theft of service. Flanagan, Wofsy-Flanagan and Ferrara were additionally charged with burglary.

This is not the first time Schwartz has been arrested: Nine years ago, in 2016, he was arrested alongside 45 other people in a large illegal gambling ring, in a bust done by the Bergen County Prosecutor. Schwartz was charged with promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling. He was employed by the town of Secaucus at the time, and he was allowed to keep his job. It is unknown how the charges were ever resolved.

In addition to the four town employees, three more Crystal Clear employees were also arrested. More arrests may be coming.

• Casey McClelland, 26, of Branchville, NJ, arrested June 17 and charged with theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
• Johvanny Leveque, 24, of Bogota, arrested June 10 and charged with theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
• Marlon Guzman, 47, of Secaucus, arrested June 10 and charged with theft and conspiracy to commit theft.

After getting a tip from someone in Secaucus in March, Secaucus Police set up a surveillance of the town pool. Police said they watched thousands of dollars worth of pool chemicals be stolen, sometimes daily. A town of Secaucus vehicle was also used on occasion when they serviced private pools, said police. Also, some of the town employees worked for the private company while getting paid on the clock by the town of Secaucus.

Wofsy-Flanagan is in charge of overseeing the town of Secaucus’ lifeguard program. Police say she doubled-billed both the town of Secaucus and clients of Crystal Clear Pool and Spa Management to certify lifeguards hired by the pool company. She taught these lifeguard certification classes at the Secaucus Rec Center.

Initial report: 4 Secaucus Town Employees Accused Of Stealing Town's Pool Chemicals For Their Own Business (June 10)

2 More Arrested In Alleged Theft Of Secaucus Pool Chemicals By Town Employees (June 11)

Last week: New Arrest Made In Alleged Theft Of Chemicals From Secaucus Town Pool (June 23)