Former Lawrence Mayor Mark W. Holmes Sr., who resigned as the executive director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority in June 2011, has been charged with theft by deception, according to Acting Monmou
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Former Lawrence Mayor Mark W. Holmes Sr., who resigned as the executive director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority in June 2011, has been charged with theft by deception, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.
Mr. Holmes, who was arrested at his Drift Avenue home on Thursday, was charged with allegedly stealing more than $75,000 in state grant funds, collecting reimbursements for unauthorized meals and double-dipping on per diem payments when traveling while he was the executive director of the housing authority, according to a press release.
Mr. Holmes served as the executive director of the housing authority between November 2008 and June 2011. A few months before assuming the job of executive director, he received a $99,897 grant from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which was intended to be used to provide training in computers and other skills for the authority’s residents.
Instead, Mr. Holmes allegedly transferred $75,721.40 into the Asbury Park Housing Authority’s general operating fund and then transferring that money into his own accounts, the press release said.
He also allegedly used a debit card and an American Express credit card to make unauthorized purchases during a trip to Florida in 2011, and used the debit card to buy meals in Asbury Park and Lawrence. He also submitted reimbursement vouchers for meals, despite using the American Express credit card.