Ex-Brick schools chief, three others indicted for official misconduct, theft

Former Brick Township Schools Superintendent Walter Uszenski, his daughter, and two other onetime district officials are indicted and face possible trial for allegedly using taxpayer funds to furnish his grandson with unauthorized services.

Uszenski, 63, of Brick; daughter Jacqueline Halsey, 37, of Brick; and former interim Director of Public Services Andrew Morgan, 68, of Edison, are charged with second-and third-degree counts of official misconduct and third-degree theft by deception, according to the office of Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

Morgan's wife, Lorraine, 58, of Edison, the district's former Academic Officer, is charged with a third-degree count of official misconduct.

All four are implicated in what investigators say was a series of maneuvers to provide Uszenski's grandson, Halsey's son, with education and transport services to which the youngster was not entitled.

Andrew Morgan faces additional charges of false swearing and theft by deception for allegedly hiding a criminal conviction for selling drugs in New York City in 1990 on his application to become the district's interim Director of Special Services.

He was paid more than $60,000 between March 1, 2013 and his resignation date of December 31, 2013, authorities said.

Investigators contend that Uszenski and Morgan enabled Halsey's preschooler to receive about $50,000 worth of district-funded full-time day care and transportation by falsely claiming that they were educationally appropriate and necessary. They claim that Halsey initiated and approved the request, and that Morgan and Uszenski obtained Board of Ed approvals

Uszenski and Morgan had become familiar with each other in previous work situations, investigators said. They determined that Uszenski recommended Morgan to the Board to conduct an audit of special services, and was hired in March 2013. He produced a seven-page criticism of the existing special services director and was paid $17,499, authorities said.

Morgan was subsequently paid $83 per hour for 209 hours of work on an audit that recommended in-district special needs services as a way to save money on transportation and tuition costs, authorities said.

Investigators believe that the audit was the vehicle that justified Uszenski's recommendation to hire him as interim Special Services Director, which Morgan undertook on July 1, 2013.

According to investigators, Morgan quickly set about organizing taxpayer-funded, unauthorized services for Halsey's preschooler. His wife is accused of approving counseling services for the youngster that weren't needed.

Each second-degree official misconduct charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years on conviction, with a mandatory five years before parole consideration. The penalty for third-degree official misconduct is up to five years in prison and two years without parole eligibility. Each third-degrree theft by deception count is punishable by up to five years in prison.