New Jersey State Police search Trenton City Hall, cart out boxes of evidence

New Jersey State Police investigators searched Trenton City Hall for several hours Tuesday and removed boxes of evidence as part of a criminal investigation into allegations that a former city employee failed to deposit money collected for permits into municipal accounts.

The investigation centers on alleged misconduct involving a former employee in the city’s Housing and Economic Development Department and Division of Inspections, according to Mayor Reed Gusciora and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Sources said that the investigation involves the alleged theft of city funds, but Gusciora said, “It was a clerical function. The allegation is that the money wasn’t deposited in the city’s account.”

The amount of money allegedly missing has not been disclosed, and the former employee has not been publicly identified. No charges were known to have been filed as of Tuesday.

This incident adds to a long history of corruption, financial missteps, and high-profile federal and state probes in the capital city.

Former Trenton Mayor Tony Mack was convicted on federal extortion, bribery, and wire fraud charges in 2014 following an FBI sting operation involving a downtown parking garage project.

A recent state-level forensic audit revealed extensive irregular spending of federal and state funds, including millions spent on unauthorized, no-bid contracts and poorly documented overtime by city departments.

In late November 2024, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found a pattern of misconduct and abuse within the Trenton Police Department.

That was followed by revelations that an employee at the city’s troubled water utility had falsified drinking water test results for more than a year. 

Trenton has also been drawn into a federal criminal investigation involving a contractor charged with fraud for allegedly lying about replacing lead service lines in Newark — the same contractor that performed lead line replacement work in Trenton.

Multiple local health and human services employees previously pleaded guilty to theft regarding grant allocations, alongside ongoing scrutiny over municipal water testing and police department use-of-force accountability.

Gusciora has downplayed the fact that Trenton has faced a troubling series of investigations and allegations involving its public institutions.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed that State Police detectives searched Trenton City Hall on Tuesday morning in conjunction with investigators from the Division of Criminal Justice and Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

“Earlier this morning, detectives with the New Jersey State Police, in conjunction with DCJ/OPIA, conducted a search of Trenton’s Division of Inspections and Department of Housing and Economic Development,” the Attorney General’s Office said. “No further information will be made available as the investigation is ongoing.”

The police activity temporarily disrupted operations at City Hall, with visitors turned away from the building for a time as investigators worked inside.

Gusciora said the investigation stems from allegations the city discovered approximately two years ago rather than from wrongdoing newly uncovered by state investigators.

According to the mayor, concerns arose in 2024 about money collected for permits that allegedly was not deposited into the city’s accounts. The city launched an internal investigation, and the employee left city employment that year.

City officials subsequently referred the allegations and their findings to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.

“The investigation concerns a matter that the city itself identified, investigated and referred to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office approximately two years ago,” Gusciora said in a statement.

The mayor said the city is cooperating fully with state investigators.

“This administration has zero tolerance for misconduct or violations of the public trust,” Gusciora said. “When credible allegations of wrongdoing come to our attention, we investigate them and, where appropriate, refer the matter to the proper law enforcement authorities. That is exactly what the city did here.”

Gusciora said investigators carried boxes of evidence from City Hall during the search, which continued for several hours.

“We want to make it clear that we have zero tolerance for any kind of corruption, and that’s why we made the referral,” the mayor said.

The city has since installed cameras in reception areas to increase oversight, according to Gusciora.

Questions remain about why nearly two years elapsed between the city’s referral and Tuesday’s search. A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office declined to explain the timing, citing the continuing investigation.

City officials emphasized that the allegations concern an individual former employee and should not reflect on the broader municipal workforce.

“The overwhelming majority of city employees serve Trenton residents with honesty, professionalism and dedication every day,” the city said. “Their public service should not be overshadowed by allegations involving the conduct of any one individual.”

The Attorney General’s Office urged anyone with information about potential public corruption to contact its statewide corruption tip line at 1-844-OPIA-TIP (1-844-674-2847).