A former Ventnor code enforcement officer has been officially indicted following a grand jury decision.
Michelle Calderon, 37, a resident of Egg Harbor Township, is accused of embezzling over $91,000 in permit payments from various businesses between January 2021 and June 2023.
According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, on Thursday, April 11, 2024, Calderon was indicted for the following crimes:
- Official Misconduct
- Misapplication of Entrusted Property
- Failure to Make Lawful Disposition of Property
- Altering Computer Software to Commit Theft
- Tampering with Records
Calderon is accused of accepting cash payments for various city permits and keeping the money.
The indictment stems from an investigation that began when the City of Ventnor observed a discrepancy within its financial ledgers.
It is alleged that from 2021 through 2023, Calderon took cash transactions from citizens and businesses intended as payment for various city permits and kept the cash for herself.
Cash would be paid for parking permits, dumpster permits, building permits, and zoning permits, but those payments were not recorded in the logs
She would then alter the balance sheets using a city-owned computer to cover up the discrepancies. The total amount of cash taken exceeds $75,000.
This was a joint investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Professional Standards & Accountability Unit and Ventnor City Police Department.
Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy represents the State in this matter.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information about this incident or other serious crimes are asked to call the Atlantic
County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Website at ACPO.Tips and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/.
Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County
Former Ventnor City Code Enforcement Officer Indicted on Official Misconduct
