Crime & Safety

Elections Worker Faces 7-Year Sentence for $384K Theft

Yanira Martinez stole the money when she worked as the confidential secretary to the county superintendents of elections.

A woman admitted Tuesday to diverting more than $384,000 from the Passaic County Board of Elections to her personal bank account for more than two years, authorities announced.

Yanira Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct and one count of theft, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced in a news release.

The release states Martinez, a Ridgefield resident, admitted that she used her position as the confidential secretary to the Passaic County superintendent of elections to divert funds intended for the Board of Elections to her personal bank account. The theft occurred between February 2008 and April 2010.

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The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Public Integrity Unit and the United States Inspector’s Office began investigating Martinez in February 2008.

Martinez was arrested and charged in June 2010, the prosecutor’s office stated.

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Under the terms of the plea agreement, Martinez faces a seven-year prison term, seven years for the theft charge and seven years for the official misconduct charge, and five years probation. The sentences will run concurrently.

Martinez also must pay back the $384,000 she stole to the county. She will also be prohibited from future public employment.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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