WILDWOOD — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced a state grand jury has returned a 12-count indictment against Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr., and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski in connection with their allegedly fraudulent participation in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP).
The grand jury has decided criminal charges should be filed against Byron, 67, Troiano, 72, and Mikulski, 57, all residents of Wildwood. They are each facing four counts: second-degree official misconduct, second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree tampering with public records and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records. The defendants were charged by complaint in June 2022 in an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) that began with a referral from the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits. All three defendants pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in state Superior Court in Cape May County before Judge Bernard DeLury, Jr.
Since 2010, New Jersey law has required elected officials to be full-time employees “whose hours of work are fixed at 35 or more per week” in their elected positions to be eligible to participate in the SHBP and receive publicly funded healthcare. The investigation revealed that Byron, Troiano, and Mikulski were never eligible because they were never “full-time” employees as defined by state law. They did not receive vacation, sick, or...
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