TRENTON, N.J. — Former Wildwood Mayor Peter J. Byron pleaded guilty to charges related to fraudulently participating in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) and failing to disclose outside employment and income, according to an announcement made today by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Byron, 68, admitted his guilt during a hearing on September 27, 2024, before Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury, Jr. in Cape May County. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft by unlawful taking (2nd degree) in connection with the health benefits fraud and to additional charges of falsifying records (4th degree) and filing a fraudulent tax return (3rd degree) related to undisclosed income.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a three-year state prison sentence. Byron will also be required to pay restitution and accept a lifetime ban from public office and employment.
“Illegally obtaining benefits is not what holding public office should be about,” said Attorney General Platkin. “This was a self-serving, nearly decade-long betrayal of the public’s trust that saddled New Jersey residents with a six-figure bill for the defendant’s personal gain.”
The charges stem from a July 2023 indictment that accused Byron, along with Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and City Commissioner Steve Mikulski, of fraudulently enrolling in the SHBP despite being ineligible as they were not full-time employees. From July 2011 to October 2021, nearly $609,000 in premiums and claims were paid on Byron’s behalf.
An additional indictment in April 2024 charged Byron with using his official position to obtain a job from an attorney with ties to Wildwood’s government. Byron failed to disclose this employment on financial forms and omitted the related income from his state tax returns.
The investigation was conducted by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption South unit and prosecuted by the OPIA Corruption Bureau.
Byron resigned from office in September 2023.
