DPW employee pleads guilty to fee scheme
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — Louis Cooke, an assistant supervisor with the Department of Public Works (DPW), pleaded guilty last week to one count of official misconduct, a second-degree crime.

Cooke, 41, a Little Silver resident, is facing a state prison term of between three and five years, forfeiture of his employment with Long Branch, and restitution of approximately $32,500 when he is sentenced on Jan. 6.

In addition, two other DPW employees, sanitation engineers Justin Tomas and Gregory Carr, are also implicated in the scheme that had been going on for about eight years, from 1996 through 2004.

According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Cooke’s illegal scheme involved using Long Branch sanitation equipment to carry his privately owned garbage containers and emptying them at the Monmouth County Landfill in Tinton Falls.

During the eight-year period, Long Branch provided a container service to residents or businesses who chose to rent a container for removal of large amounts of garbage or debris from their property. Residents or businesses interested in obtaining container services were required to register with the DPW to arrange a delivery and pickup date. They were also required to pay a fee of $175 per load, which was subsequently delivered to the Monmouth County landfill.

The fee covered costs associated with the pickup and removal of the trash container and tipping fees incurred at the landfill.

Instead of instructing residents or business owners to sign up with the city DPW, Cooke privately brokered garbage collection deals with residents and businesses at a greatly reduced rate for his own personal benefit, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

During his guilty plea before Judge Anthony J. Mellaci, Cooke admitted to emptying loaded garbage containers while using a Long Branch sanitation truck. The private garbage pickups took place during his normal work hours for Long Branch.

Once the sanitation truck was loaded, Cooke admitted to driving the truck and dumping its contents at the county landfill.

Cooke acknowledged that the fee charged to Long Branch by the county landfill was based on the weight of the load delivered. As a result of Cooke’s actions, Long Branch paid additional tipping fees to the landfill.

Cooke also admitted to paying other Long Branch DPW workers, including Tomas, 34, and Carr, 45, for their participation in the illegal scheme. He paid the two men to pick up garbage on the days when he was unavailable and allowed them to keep the proceeds.

Cooke’s plea followed a plea by Tomas on Aug. 18. Tomas pleaded guilty to a third degree offense and is facing a term of probation based on his role in the offense and his cooperation with authorities, forfeiture of his employment, and restitution to the city when he is sentenced on Oct. 28.

Carr is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 12.

Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said the resolution of the case reflects his office’s strong commitment to restore public confidence in all levels of government.

“Municipal workers and officials owe a duty of responsibility to the public and to their respective positions,” he said.