Former Turnpike Employee Admits Theft

Gerardo A. Blasi of Clifton, a former claims manager for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, pleaded guilty Wednesday to his part in a scheme that led to the theft of at least $1.5 million from the authority and various insurance companies.

From May 2009 until June 2013, 55-year-old Blasi inflated the costs of damages done to NJTA property by insured motorists. In the end, he and his conspirators shared the difference between the inflated costs and the payments for actual costs.

Blasi could receive 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced in March.