*News
Release* Date: August 26, 2009
Middlesex
County Prosecutor’s Office
Piscataway police sergeant charged with forgery, theft
Wayne Vakulchik, (DOB 6/23/65) a Piscataway resident, was
charged Tuesday, August 25, 2009, with committing forgery, theft by deception
and attempted theft by deception between January 22, 2008, and August 4, 2009.
Bail was set at $5,000 for Vakulchik, who was allowed to
post 10 percent of the amount.
An
investigation determined Vakulchik submitted a voucher on August 4, 2009,
seeking overtime for a municipal court appearance when he actually was working
off-duty security at a church-sponsored function in the township.
The
overtime request was denied when officials realized Vakulchik had forged his
supervisor’s signature on the voucher.
A
subsequent review of overtime vouchers submitted by Vakulchik determined he
submitted five overtime vouchers in 2009 and collected $1,250 in overtime, and,
in 2008, submitted nine fraudulent vouchers and collected $1,400.
In
each instance, Vakulchik requested a minimum three hours of overtime for
municipal court appearances that he did not attend.
Vakulchik,
who began his career with the Piscataway Police Department on March 8, 1985,
has been suspended without pay from his $115,700-a-year job pending the outcome
of the charges.
As
is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Vakulchik are
merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.