More Charges Filed Against Mayor of Ocean Gate, NJ

The mayor of one borough in Ocean County is in even deeper trouble with the law.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer says 66-year-old Paul Kennedy, who is the mayor of Ocean Gate, has been charged with three counts of official misconduct and three counts of theft. These charges are in addition to those served upon Kennedy in March for official misconduct and theft in relation to his capacity as Mayor of the Borough of Ocean Gate, a position in which he continues to serve.

Billhimer says,

[An] investigation revealed that Kennedy, in his capacity as Mayor of Ocean Gate, collected cash from the sale of scrap metal originating in the Borough Recycling Center and then failed to turn over the proceeds to the Borough. Likewise, as Mayor, Kennedy converted funds donated by contributors to “Friends of Ocean Gate” for his re-election campaign, as well as the campaign of his running mates, for his personal benefit.

Authorities also say Kennedy allegedly leveraged his position with the Ocean County Buildings and Grounds Department by requiring certain employees within the department to perform construction work at his home in Ocean Gate during business hours.

Kennedy was processed at the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning and was released on a summons pending a future court date.

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Back in March,

Kennedy [was] charged...with Official Misconduct and Theft for failing to turn over proceeds from the sale of assets belonging to the Borough of Ocean Gate - sold by way of the government auction website GovDeals.com – and instead took possession of those proceeds for his own personal benefit. Detectives also discovered that Kennedy failed to deposit borough parking meter funds in the borough’s bank account, and that he sold borough office furniture through a private Facebook Marketplace account, likewise attempting to keep those proceeds for his personal benefit.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.