MIDDLESEX BOROUGH — The mayor of Middlesex Borough is accused of repeatedly betraying the trust of his community, by stealing $190,000 from fellow municipal politicians and funneling it through a charity to cover his tracks.

Mayor Ronald DiMura was indicted on nine counts, including money laundering and theft by deception, by a state grand jury in Mercer County Superior Court.

According to State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the 63-year-old DiMura used his position as treasurer for the Middlesex Borough Democratic Campaign Committee and for a number of municipal campaigns over a roughly five-year span, between 2013 and June 2019 to collect donations for the charity that DiMura ran.

Grewal said in reality, only a small amount of the money actually went to charitable causes, as most went to DiMura’s own bank accounts.

According to court documents filed in the case, DiMura took $75,000 from individuals that he said would be invested to create large interest payments, while instead putting the money into his personal and business accounts, Grewal said.

DiMura is charged with three counts of theft by deception, two counts of official misconduct, as well as pattern of official misconduct, money laundering, misapplication of entrusted property and tampering with public records.

Some of those charges stem from a $10,000 donation that Grewal said DiMura took from a developer to put toward the charity DiMura ran. Instead, Grewal said DiMura pocketed that cash as well.

"As mayor and as a local party leader, DiMura was trusted in Middlesex Borough. But DiMura repeatedly betrayed that trust, we allege, by misappropriating funds, abusing his office, and using a charity to hide his actions," Grewal said in a written statement.

DiMura, a Democrat, was elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2015.

In November, he lost a re-election bid to Republican Council President John L. Madden, by a roughly 800 vote margin.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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