A former Ventnor Code Enforcement officer who admitted to stealing more than $75,000 during her tenure was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday.
Michelle Calderon, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, was taken into custody following her sentencing. She is currently in the Atlantic County Justice Facility awaiting transfer to state prison.
She pleaded guilty last month, admitting she took cash from citizens and businesses intended as payment for various city permits, and then kept the cash for herself.
As part of the plea, Calderon was required to make partial restitution of $50,000 to Ventnor prior to sentence. She must pay any remaining restitution upon her release from prison, along with forfeiting the numerous high-end items purchased using the stolen money and seized as part of a search warrant on her home, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Calderon also must forfeit any current or future public employment.
"My client has done everything in her power to correct the wrong," attorney Lou Barbone told BreakingAC. "She raised and repaid $50,000 to the city of Ventnor and is committed to repay the rest upon release."
Calderon was indicted in April 2024, on charges including pattern of official misconduct, official misconduct, misapplication of entrusted property and altering computer software to commit theft.
She tried to cover up the discrepancy by removing the cash revenue from the paper copies of the Excel sheets saved for the annual audit that comes at the end of June or beginning of July, according to the affidavit of probable cause previously reported by BreakingAC.
The box ready for the 2022 audit was found behind Calderon's desk in the Building and Housing Department, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage shows Calderon bringing documentation from the Building and Housing Department to the Finance Office on the second floor in City Hall at the end of her shifts, the affidavit states.
When the paper copies were compared to the original computer copy, it shows the cash revenue was removed from the paper copy for the year 2022, according to the allegations.
Further review found $91,199 was misappropriated dating to 2021, according to the affidavit.
Suspicions were first raised June 16, sparking the joint investigation by the Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards & Accountability Unit and Ventnor police.
She was previously released on a summons.
