Township Clerk Charged With Insurance Fraud, Theft By Deception; Suspended Without Pay

McCarthy Allegedly Made 'Statements/Admissions' To Authorities

Township Clerk Ann Marie McCarthy, left, has been suspended without pay following her December arrest on insurance fraud and theft by deception charges. (File photo).

Township Clerk Ann Marie McCarthy remains free on no bail following her arrest in mid-December on insurance fraud and theft by deception charges.

McCarthy, 52, faces between three and five years in prison for each of the two charges for which she was arrested: 3rd Degree Insurance Fraud and 3rd Degree Theft by Deception.

She has been suspended without pay pending resolution of the charges against her, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said in a prepared statement.

McCarthy engaged in the alleged fraud and theft between Jan. 1, 2016 and Sept. 1, 2017, according to the complaint filed in state Superior Court, Somerville.

According to the complaint, McCarthy’s crimes were committed against Horizon Blue Cross.

McCarthy, of Raritan, was arrested on Dec. 14, 2017.  The complaint was sworn out in Hillsborough Municipal Court by Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Det. Darren Herrling.

She was released on her own recognizance following her first appearance in Superior Court on Dec. 20, according to Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Jack Bennett. Her next court date is scheduled for Feb. 5.

While the Affidavit for Probable Cause – the sworn statement prosecutors use to establish a basic case against a defendant to convince a judge to issue an arrest warrant – is blank, the Preliminary Law Enforcement Incident Report notes that McCarthy “made statements/admissions. It was recorded using (Audio recording only).”

McCarthy has been Township Clerk for 14 years, Vornlocker said. According to state records, as of the end of 2016 she earned a salary of $103,000.

Vornlocker said in his statement McCarthy was suspended without pay in December when the township was notified of her arrest by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Deputy Clerk, Msiba Holliman, has assumed the Township Clerk’s duties,” the statement reads. “To the extent they require it, the Township is prepared to cooperate, to the fullest extent possible, with the involved law enforcement agencies.”

Township officials have made no comments about McCarthy’s arrest because it is considered to be a personnel issue, said township attorney Lou Rainone.

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