Former Brookdale Community College President Peter F. Burnham pleaded guilty on July 24 to official misconduct and theft for fraudulently obtaining more than $40,000 worth of meals, alcoholic beverages, hotel stays, clothing, tuition assistance, electronic equipment and other items of value, Monmouth County acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.
Burnham, 68, of Colts Neck, entered his plea before Superior Court Judge Thomas F. Scully, sitting in Freehold. Scully scheduled Burnham’s sentencing for Sept. 21.
According to a press release, an investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that from June 2003 through February 2011, Burnham had engaged in a continuous scheme to defraud Brookdale Community College (BCC) by falsely representing that certain expenses charged on two college-issued credit cards were related to official business, when in fact they were not.
In many instances, Burnham falsely claimed that expenses charged related to his position as BCC president, or his participation with certain education committees and associations, when no such business was conducted or existed at the time Burnham had claimed, according to the press release. Once the monthly statements for schoolissued credit cards were received, Burnham would present the statements to BCC executive staff after making false notations and representations on the statements to justify the expenses, which caused BCC to pay the expenses under the false impression that they related to Burnham’s official duties and responsibilities as BCC president.
On other occasions, Burnham failed to provide any supporting receipts, or provided non-itemized receipts even though BCC policies and procedures required such supporting documentation, to falsely justify payment for the expenses. Many of the fraudulent expenses paid for by BCC constituted payments for lodging, airfare, and meals and restaurants at choice locations in places such as Philadelphia, southern New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Arizona and Delaware. In some instances, Burnham intentionally provided non-itemized receipts to conceal his purchase of alcoholic beverages and other items that could not be submitted for payment by BCC because of BCC regulations that prohibited the expensing of alcohol, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The investigation also revealed that Burnham bilked Monmouth University and the federal government out of approximately $20,000 in student aid.
Burnham’s employment contract with BCC provided for a number of benefits, including $20,000 worth of tuition reimbursement per school year for any family member to attend any state college or university.
Burnham, whose son attended Monmouth University in West Long Branch, had already been reimbursed for his son’s 2010- 11 school year tuition as per the terms of Burnham’s employment contract. However, on March 11, 2011 (three days after submitting his resignation to BCC), Burnham and his son submitted an application for federal student aid for the same 2010-11 school year without disclosing the $20,000 tuition reimbursement benefit provided by BCC, according to the press release.
On March 15, 2011, Burnham was notified that his son qualified for federal student aid for the 2010-11 school year, and the federal government paid the 2010-11 tuition to Monmouth University directly.
Monmouth University, after noting the overpayment for tuition, later issued a $20,398 reimbursement check to Burnham’s son, which was ultimately deposited into Burnham’s personal bank account. Thereafter, Burnham used the converted funds for his personal financial benefit and never repaid BCC or the federal government.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Burnham pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree official misconduct and one count of third-degree theft by deception pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the prosecutor’s office will recommend that Burnham receive a five-year state prison term with a statutorily mandated two-year period of parole ineligibility.