Asbury Park Press
March 9, 2005
By Bob Cullinane, Nina Rizzo and James W. Prado Roberts
The FBI on Tuesday removed records from the offices of the Monmouth County motor pool, apparently in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into official corruption in the county.
County officials confirmed that two FBI agents visited the Division of Central Motor Pool Tuesday afternoon seeking copies of all vouchers related to two county vendors — International Trucks of Central Jersey and Air Brake and Equipment Co., both located in Howell.
The companies, which supply trucks and provide heavy vehicle maintenance, have been paid $12.1 million by the county over the past six years, according to county records.
Tuesday's FBI action comes one week after a federal grand jury issued a subpoena to Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye seeking all documents in his possession relating to Stephen M. Appolonia, the president of both International Trucks and Air Brake.
Appolonia, of Colts Neck, could not be reached for comment.
Daniel J. Wolfe, the county director of public works, said the federal agents visited the motor pool headquarters at 250 Center St., Freehold Township, and asked for invoices of both purchases and vehicle repairs submitted by the two Howell companies.
Paul Van Houten, a supervisor in the motor pool, said the agents did not produce a subpoena or search warrant and spoke only with an administrative aide, Terance Kelleher. Kelleher could not be reached for comment.
Director suspended
Two weeks ago, the director of the motor pool, Middletown Township Committeeman Raymond J. O'Grady, was charged with extorting $6,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents he believed were employees of a contractor who was attempting to secure Middletown business.
O'Grady, 55, was one of 11 public officials from Monmouth County who were charged Feb. 22 in connection with an ongoing federal probe of official corruption in the county dubbed "Operation Bid Rig." He has since been suspended without pay from his $84,094 county job.
Tuesday's action by the FBI has again trained a spotlight on the activities of International Trucks, Air Brake and Appolonia.
According to county records, International Trucks provided a host of goods and services to the county, ranging from trucks worth several hundred thousand dollars to routine oil changes. Some of the vouchers for this work were signed by O'Grady, county records show.
Those vouchers include orders to replace the coolant pumps on 15 county trucks, five with less than 12,000 miles on them, during a period between Dec. 23, 2002 and Jan. 29, 2003. International billed the county $375 for labor for each coolant pump replaced, for a total of about $5,625.
Contributed to GOP
Politically, International Trucks contributed at least $29,675 to Republican candidate committees and organizations in both Monmouth and Ocean counties, as well as the state GOP committee, according to state Election Law Enforcement Committee data.
Appolonia contributed $750 to Monmouth County Sheriff Joseph W. Oxley's campaign in 2000 and $1,500 to the Ocean County Republican Finance Committee in 2003, ELEC records show.
Air Brake, a company owned by the Appolonia family, also made political contributions to the GOP, including a $500 contribution to Monmouth County Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick's campaign in 2000, according to ELEC records.
