Anna Marie Vigiletti, 74, of Dumont enrolled the violators in payment plans without their knowledge, taking the money from the full payments for her personal use, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.
Vigiletti, who was employed by Dumont for 18 years, made payments on behalf of the violators over a period of time in an effort to cover up the theft, the prosecutor said.
But on at least a few occasions, Vigiletti failed to make payments, Molinelli said. The original violators received notices of the deficient payments, triggering complaints that led to Vigiletti’s arrest, he said.
In an e-mail, Molinelli said he believed that Vigiletti eventually ended up returning all of the money.
She was charged with one count of theft by deception and is due to be arraigned in Central Municipal Court in Hackensack on Thursday.
A woman who answered the telephone at Vigiletti’s home Tuesday night hung up when a reporter asked for comment on the charge.
Dumont Mayor Matthew McHale said he would not comment on the charge, but said that the borough took action to place Vigiletti on leave without pay as soon as the investigation came to the attention of officials.
“Once becoming aware of the situation we took swift and immediate action to rectify and remove any exposure to a violation of the public’s trust,” McHale said.
Demarest Mayor James Carroll did not return a call for comment
Dumont was technically Vigiletti’s employer, though she worked in both boroughs. An agreement with Demarest called for that borough to pay Dumont $25,600 this year for her services. Her annual salary was $58,351, according to Dumont officials.
Though Vigiletti submitted a letter of resignation and said last week that she had retired, the borough has not officially accepted her resignation. Instead, the council passed a resolution last month to appoint an acting administrator.
Dumont labor attorney Eric Bernstein said that Vigiletti will likely be suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case. He said he will consult with the prosecutor’s office about bringing disciplinary charges against Vigiletti at the local level.
Vigiletti could be fired if she is convicted or pleads guilty, Bernstein said. Local disciplinary charges could also potentially result in termination, he said.
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