More Strange Justice: A Warning to Public Servants
By Art Gallagher
Last November I wrote Strange Justice, a piece about my observations of the criminal sentencings of former Brookdale Community Community College President Peter Burnham and former Eatontown Detective Philip Emanulle.
Both men were charged with Official Misconduct. Burnham pled guilty to the Official Misconduct Charge and to Theft. He charged $24,000 on the college’s credit cards for personal expenses over an eight year period and used a $20,000 federal grant for his son’s tuition at Monmouth University for personal use after Brookdale had already paid the tuition. In addition to Official Misconduct, Emanuelle was charged with Sexual Assault, Criminal Coercion and Tampering with Evidence. The Sexual Assault and Official Misconduct charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Emanuelle pled guilty to Coercion and Tampering. Emanulle got five years probation. Burnham was sentenced to five years in prison with the stipulation that he serve at least two years before he is eligible for release.
Burnham is in State Prison now. A mutual friend tells me prison has not been easy for Burnham. That is an understatement. It hasn’t been easy for his family either. Burnham had already lost his job and pension. What was unexpected by his family is that he also lost his Social Security Benefits as a result of his conviction.
On January 8, Marlboro resident Mark Trawinski was sentenced to five months in prison for tax evasion. Between 2002 and 2008, Trawinski didn’t pay the employment taxes withheld from his employees wages or the business’s employment taxes. He beat the government for $713,759 and used the money in part to purchase a $1 million home in Florida that he tried to hide from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the IRS. In addition to his five months in prison, after Trawinski is released this spring he will be confined to his home for five months and he will undergo three years of supervised release. He must also pay back the $713,759 to the IRS.
Why is Burnham doing two years hard time for stealing $44,000 while Emanulle got off with probation for Sexual Assault and and Trawinski got five months for stealing $713,759? Official Misconduct.
Posted: January 18th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Brookdale Community College, Crime, Hurricane Sandy, Law Enforcement, Monmouth County Prosecutor, Peter Burnham, Philip Emmanuelle | Tags: Brookdale Community College, Christopher Gramiccioni, Matheu D Nunn, Monmouth County Prosecutor, New Jersey's Official Miscondut Statute, Official Misconduct, Peter Burnham, Philip Emanuelle, Strange Justice | 3 Comments »