NJ.COM - Employee accused of passport theft. Clerk allegedly stole fees, held applications.

From my archive of press clippings:

The Times

Employee accused of passport theft. Clerk allegedly stole fees, held applications.

Friday, May 23, 2008

BY KEVIN SHEA

A Mercer County Clerk's Office employee was charged with official misconduct yesterday for allegedly pocketing the fees for U.S. passport applications for the past several months.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Authorities say Ishmael M. Raines, 34, of Philadelphia, not only stole the fees, which range from $85 to $160, but also didn't process the applications and failed to return documents that people submit to get a passport, such as birth certificates or expired passports. "

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"Passport fees range from $60 to $135, and the clerk's office charges a $25 processing fee for each application, according to the clerk's website.

State records show Raines has been a Mercer County employee for about two years.

The prosecutor's office and Sollami-Covello both said the matter was referred to the prosecutor's office by the clerk's office through the county's Inspector General.

The prosecutor's economic crimes unit is investigating."