Former Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron has been indicted on a slew of misconduct and tax fraud charges. The indictment follows previous allegations of fraudulent participation in the State Health Benefits Program, which ultimately led to the dismissal of charges due to a technicality. The current charges include:
– Second-degree official misconduct
– Third-degree tampering with public records
– Fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records
– Third-degree failure to pay tax (two counts)
– Third-degree filing a fraudulent return (two counts)
Byron is accused of using his position to request a job from a city attorney, assisting in fraudulent tax returns to the IRS for 2017 and 2018, and failing to pay state taxes on about $40,000 in earnings during those same years.
The allegations against Byron are connected to his time as an elected city commissioner before serving as mayor, with financial disclosure statements for 2017 and 2018 coming under scrutiny. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin condemned Byron’s alleged actions, stating that elected officials are expected to serve the public, not use their authority for personal gain. The charges against Byron are ongoing, and the outcome of the case remains to be seen.
