Seven Workers Charged with Theft From NJ Sewage Agency

Seven employees at a southern New Jersey sewerage authority are accused of stealing time and equipment from the agency and billing it for products they wanted.

Six of the seven Cinnaminson Sewerage Authority employees were arrested Wednesday.

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi says the investigation began when an audit showed a backhoe was missing. It turned up at a Pennsylvania property that belonged to the father of two workers.

From there, Bernardi said officials uncovered two other schemes among the workers.

One involved employees who performed sewer work -- as a private business -- for a hotel in another town while they were on authority time and using authority parts.

Some employees also are accused of fraudulently billing the authority for personal items like GPS units and stereos.