🔵 NJ public officials arrested
🔵 County roundup of charges, allegations
🔵 Some not elected, but in "public trust"


Over the course of a year, 14 public officials or residents considered to be in a "position of community trust" were arrested for a variety of offenses in Atlantic County.

The first couple of Atlantic City was among the roundup recently shared by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, in connection with child abuse allegations.

Atlantic County (Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Atlantic County (Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Also making the list— two accused sex offenders, a city police officer accused of spending thousands of dollars wrongly deposited in his bank account, another officer who allegedly stole drugs from work.

Shawn Nguyen (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Shawn Nguyen (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Shawn Nguyen – New Jersey National Guard Recruiter

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

Nguyen, of Egg Harbor Township, was arrested in March 2024 as part of an investigation into a 2022 incident. He was accused of using his position as a recruiter with the NJ Army National Guard to sexually assault a 16-year-old girl.

Hassan Hameen (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Hassan Hameen (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Hassan Hameen – civilian employee, Atlantic City Casino Reinvestment Development Authority

Charges: two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

Hameen has been accused of sexually abusing a young relative for more than a decade, Breaking AC reported. He was ordered to be held for the duration of his case in June 2024.

Marty Small (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Marty Small (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Marty L. Small – Atlantic City Mayor

Charges: second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree terroristic threats, third-degree aggravated assault, third-degree witness tampering.

Mayor Small and his wife were indicted in September 2024 on child endangerment and other charges. Prosecutors said both parents hit and emotionally abused the teen girl multiple times, at least once to the point of unconsciousness.

Read More: AC mayor asked daughter to lie about head injury, documents say  

LaQuetta S Small (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
LaQuetta S Small (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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La’ Quetta Small – School Superintendent

Charge: second-degree endangering the welfare of a child

Small, the Schools Superintendent of the Atlantic City district, faced a child endangerment charge from the same alleged abuse of her daughter.

Constance Days Chapman (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Constance Days Chapman (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Constance Days-Chapman – School Administrator

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree hindering apprehension, fourth-degree obstruction.

The principal of Atlantic City High School was indicted on charges of repeatedly failing to report a student’s abuse at home.

Officials say as part of the cover-up, Days-Chapman met with the parents — revealed to be the mayor and the schools superintendent.

Toria Young (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Toria Young (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Toria Young – School District Employee

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, third-degree hindering apprehension

Young was charged in the same alleged coverup as Atlantic City High School Principal, Constance Days-Chapman, as Young was her administrative assistant.

She was arrested in October 2024.

LaQuay DuBose (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
LaQuay DuBose (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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LaQuay DuBose – Police Officer

Charge: third-degree theft

DuBose is a police officer in Atlantic City, accused of spending more than $35,000 that was accidentally deposited in his bank account. In March 2023, bank employees accidentally deposited a $100,000 check into DuBose's account, officials said.

When bank personnel realized the error and closed DuBose's account, he allegedly was overdrawn by over a third of the windfall. He was arrested in January 2024.

Fred Gilbert (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Fred Gilbert (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Fred Gilbert – Corrections Officer Atlantic County Justice Facility

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, third-degree witness tampering, fourth-degree obstruction, two counts of fourth-degree false reporting to law enforcement authorities, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence.

Gilbert, a corrections officer at the Atlantic County Justice Facility, was accused of keeping drugs found on an inmate during a strip search and convincing another officer to cover it up.

He was arrested in January 2024.

Christopher Piccioni (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Christopher Piccioni (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Christopher Piccioni – Corrections Officer Atlantic County Justice Facility

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, fourth-degree destruction of evidence

Piccioni was accused of helping sneak synthetic marijuana and tobacco into the jail where he worked.

He was arrested and charged in May 2024, NJ.com reported.

Robert Zbikowski (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Robert Zbikowski (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Robert Zbikowski – Police Officer

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, fourth-degree evidence tampering, fourth-degree obstruction of administration of law

The detective sergeant with the Hammonton police force was accused of stealing drugs from the department’s evidence room.

 Zbikowski failed a drug test in 2024, testing positive for methamphetamine, at which point his department contacted the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Investigators found Zbikowski had allegedly tampered with and taken drugs, including methamphetamine and oxycodone, from the evidence room at his work.

Tyrell Jones (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Tyrell Jones (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Tyrell Jones – Corrections Officer Harborfields Youth Detention Facility

Charges: second-degree official misconduct, second-degree providing an electronic communication device to a confined person.

Jones allegedly let incarcerated youth use his personal cell phone, NJ.com reported after his arrest in May 2024.

Erland Chau (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Erland Chau (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Erland Chau – City of Northfield Mayor

Charge: fourth-degree Imitation Firearm.

Mayor Chau was accused of pulling what looked like a firearm on a woman during an argument in a school parking lot in October 2024, Press of Atlantic City reported.

Chau flashed the starter pistol, which he used as a cross country official, police said.

Dimitrios Harritopulos (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Dimitrios Harritopulos (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Dimitrios Harritopulos – Teacher

Charge: third-degree endangering the welfare of a child

Harritopulos, 41 of Absecon, was arrested and initially also charged with driving while intoxicated in the same June 2024 incident, Galloway Police said.

Danielle Elliot (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Danielle Elliot (ACPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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Danielle Elliot – Teacher

Charge: third-degree endangering the welfare of a child

Elliot, a teacher in Camden County, allegedly did not have a child properly buckled into a booster seat during a crash in Galloway, leading to the child's injuries, BreakingAC reported.

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