The owner of a cleaning and maintenance supply company admitted in court Wednesday to bribing a Toms River man who was employed as the Union County facilities director and pocketing more than $120,000 in proceeds from payment of fake invoices he created over a period of five years.
Richard Greer, 54, of Marlboro, pleaded guilty in a Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a press release.
Greer owned and operated Positive Attitude, LLC, his commercial cleaning supply firm that provided cleaning and maintenance products to the county. Greer admitted he bribed Aniello Palmieri, 57, of Toms River, former director of the Division of Facilities Management for Union County, $500 a month to make sure Greer would keep receiving lucrative county business, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
To make up that money, Greer made up fictitious invoices for products the county never purchased. Greer upped the amount of the fake invoices to include a profit for himself above the money with which he bribed Pallmieri, the federal prosecutor's office said.
Greer received $120,000 to $200,000 in fraudulent proceeds from the fictitious invoices. Greer sent the fake invoices by mail - the source of the mail fraud charge—and received checks he cashed from the county.
On Oct. 2, Palmieri and Frank Donald Vicendes III, 48, of Berkeley Heights, a Union 2 County vendor, also admitted to engaging in a similar bribery scheme and to defrauding Union County of more than $120,000 in connection with sale of supplies to Union County. Palmieri and Vicendes entered their guilty pleas to mail fraud before Judge Walls in Newark federal court. Palmieri and Vicendes face the same penalties as Greer and are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2013, and Jan. 7, 2013, respectively.
Deborah Bell contributed to this story.
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