Dan Santaniello (Photo: Shorebeat)
Brick Township Recreation Director Dan Santaniello has been arrested and charged with stealing permit fees paid by taxpayers to the township, authorities and officials confirmed Thursday morning.
Santaniello, 46, a well-known and well-liked figure at town hall who has led the Recreation Department since 2015, was charged with theft and uttering a forged instrument.
The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad, Brick Township Police Department, Brick Township Police Department Internal Affairs Unit, and Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau.
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The investigation, according to a statement from prosecutors, revealed that in his position as Director of Recreation, Santaniello was responsible for issuing permits to private organizations for utilizing the township’s recreational facilities, including the township’s various softball fields. Private organizations wishing to utilize the fields were charged fees for their usage. Santaniello allegedly required certain organizations wishing to use the township’s fields to pay him directly in cash, rather than issuing checks to the township. Instead of depositing the cash into the township’s accounts, Santaniello is said to have kept the monies for himself. In order to conceal the theft, prosecutors allege, Santaniello provided the private organizations who paid him in cash with fraudulent permits.
Santaniello was taken into custody at his residence Wednesday without incident by detectives from the prosecutor’s office and Brick police. He was processed and served with the charges via summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court. It was not clear, exactly, as to Santaniello’s employment status with the township and Shorebeat is attempting to clarify. Generally, when public employees are arrested, they are suspended pending either indictment or conviction of the charges.
“This is truly a sad day for Brick Township,” Mayor Lisa Crate said. “I trust that the Police Department and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office are thoroughly investigating these charges and will uncover all the facts related to these charges. The township takes very seriously any allegations involving the misuse of township funds and will work in close partnership with law enforcement to ensure taxpayer dollars are safeguarded from abuse.”
Santaniello, “for all of his efforts and his frequent acts going above and beyond for his town,” it was said at the time, was awarded Professional of the Year by the New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association. Santaniello took over the division in 2014 and the award was based on his work during 2015.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Anyone with additional information concerning Santaniello’s conduct is urged to contact Detective Joseph Mitchell of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad at 732-929-2027, extension 3532, or Lieutenant Paul Catalina of the Brick Township Police Department at 732-262-1100.
