A 21-year employee of the Robbinsville Township Police Department has been charged with stealing and selling property and equipment belonging to the township police department for personal gain.
A criminal complaint was signed on Friday, Aug 12, charging Eric Coran, 41, of Medford, with second-degree official misconduct, multiple counts of theft, criminal computer activity and impersonation, and second-degree money laundering.
Coran had been employed by the Robbinsville Township Police Department as a communications officer since 2002. His responsibilities included purchasing, ordering, programming, and maintaining police equipment including police radios, emergency lights, sirens and controllers. Coran was terminated from his job on Aug. 12 after being suspended without pay since July 2022.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Public Corruption Unit and the Robbinsville Township Police Department.
According to authorities, the investigation revealed that between July 2021 and July 2022, Coran abused his position by fraudulently obtaining and altering purchase orders issued by the Robbinsville Township to make unauthorized purchases for his own uses; making unauthorized purchases for his own uses utilizing the township’s Amazon account; and utilizing other means to steal Robbinsville property and funds.
Coran is also accused of selling various police radios, emergency lights, sirens and controllers over the internet using an alias and mailed them throughout the United States utilizing his Medford residence as a return address.
The approximate value of the stolen property is more than $250,000. The investigation also revealed that Coran utilized the credentials of both Chief Christopher Nitti and Chief Michael Polaski without authorization to access and make alterations in a software program used by the Robbinsville Township for budgeting and financial purposes to further and cover up his crimes.
Mayor David Fried said that Coran’s alleged crimes, “are an unfathomable breach of trust by a long-time employee. Immediate action was taken, and he is no longer employed by the township.”
He addded: “We talk all the time about owning our mistakes, and Robbinsville Township today is staying true to that and walking the walk. Our police department uncovered this alleged scheme, and it has already taken several proactive steps, featuring multiple layers of increased accountability, to help ensure this never happens again.”
“At the end of the day this was not only outstanding police work, but outstanding police work under the tremendous strain of having to investigate one of their own,” Fried said. “We want to thank Angelo Onofri and his team at the MCPO for granting us the resources needed to get where we are today. That said, we sincerely apologize to our residents for not catching this sooner. We will be submitting a claim to our insurance carrier to get all $250,000 reimbursed.”
“No one is above the law, especially public servants,” said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. “Individuals who abuse their positions and violate public trust should be prepared to face the consequences.”
“Eric was a long-time, trusted employee serving 21 years with the police department. He was an important member of the team,” Chief Polaski said. “We were both shocked and disappointed to learn that this had been going on.”
Coran’s alleged criminal acts were uncovered in July when Motorola contacted the Police Department regarding service of one of the stolen radios. The matter was brought to the attention of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and a joint investigation ensued.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Rachel Cook, chief of the Public Corruption Unit. Second-degree crimes carry a penalty of five to 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine. Third-degree crimes carry a penalty of three to five years in state prison and a $15,000 fine.
If convicted of the second-degree crime of money laundering, Coran faces a penalty of 5 to 10 years in state prison, to run consecutive to the theft charges, and a $200,000 fine. Additionally, he would be subject to a $500,000 anti-money laundering profiteering penalty.
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