N.J. indicts 12 public workers in gas thefts

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

New Jersey officials yesterday announced the indictment of a dozen government employees on charges of stealing gas from government pumps, the latest evidence that rising gas prices are prompting motorists to turn to crime.

Some of the defendants used magnetic swipe cards or fuel keys to steal between a few and several hundred gallons of gas, the state Attorney General's Office alleged.

Thieves across the Philadelphia region are apparently helping themselves to a commodity at record-high prices. In South Jersey, the price of regular gas averaged $3.98 per gallon yesterday, according to AAA.

Nationwide, auto-repair shops are reporting instances of thieves drilling into fuel tanks - at the risk of sparking an explosion - along with the more traditional gas-station drive-offs and siphoning.

The New Jersey indictments, which were returned Tuesday, accuse six employees of the City of Camden and the city's Board of Education of gassing up vehicles for personal use at government pumps. Also charged were six current or former employees of the state Department of Children and Families, and one private citizen.

The 13 face a variety of charges, including second- and third-degree counts of official misconduct. The maximum penalties are 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine for a second-degree count and five years and $15,000 for a third-degree count.

Attorney General Anne Milgram accused the defendants of taking a free ride at the expense of state and local taxpayers.

"These thefts are a slap in the face to taxpayers who are struggling to afford the gas they need to get to work and to the grocery store," she said.