In a recent case in Passaic County court, a former employee of the Paterson school district was found guilty of numerous charges, including official misconduct, theft by deception, falsifying or tampering with records, and forgery.
On Thursday, December 26th, a jury decided that 76-year-old Anna Taliaferro did, in fact, commit the crimes for which she was accused by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. According to authorities, Taliaferro overbilled the Paterson school district by approximately $190,000 for services related to scheduling parent-teacher conferences, after enlisting the services of a business in which she had financial interests.
Prosecutors alleged that Taliaferro, who subsequently retired in 2008 and moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, falsely completed ethics forms in which she denied any financial stake in any organization with which the school board was affiliated.
Now that Passaic County jurors have rendered a guilty verdict in his case, Taliaferro will face sentencing in March. She will be subject to serious penalties, including a term of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison. For example, theft by deception, which is governed underN.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, is considered a crime of the second degree if the amount involved is $75,000 or more. Second degree offenses are punishable by a term of incarceration between 5 and 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. Further, falsifying or tampering with records, which is codified under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4, is classified as a fourth degree offense and is punishable by a term of incarceration of up to 18 months in New Jersey State Prison. Forgery is also a crime of the fourth degree, bearing similar penalties.
A judge will have to take into account each of the offenses for which Taliaferro was convicted before determining an appropriate sentence.
For more information pertaining to this case, access the following article: Former Paterson school employee guilty of misconduct, theft
