NEWARK - A Jersey City police officer admitted today in federal court to taking more than $5,000 in payments for work he never performed, marking the seventh officer to plead guilty to conspiracy or bribery charges relating to the department's off-duty jobs program.
David W. Ortmann, a 28-year veteran with the department, admitted to conspiring with another officer, only identified as the West District pick coordinator, to submit vouchers for work that was not completed.
Ortmann, 53, faces up to five years in prison at sentencing in January. His attorney, Michael Koribanics said Ortmann had a "good career" with the police department, but made a "bad choice."
"Good people make bad choices," Koribanics said following the hearing. "He's accepted the responsibility for his actions, which is what responsible people do."
Jersey City requires companies looking to hire off-duty officers to work security or traffic details to go through the city. The city collects an administrative fee and a job coordinator from each police precinct assigns and approves pay vouchers.
Ortmann admitted to submitting phony pay vouchers worth more than $5,000 between July 2015 and Sept. 2016.
Records obtained by The Jersey Journal show Ortmann collected $79,480 in off-duty work between 2013 and 2016. In 2015 he collected $30,105. The city's payroll indicates he's paid $116,342 a year.
City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said Ortmann has retired from the department. Asked to comment on today's guilty plea, Morrill issued the same statement she made yesterday, when Michael O'Leary Jr. pleaded guilty to bribery.
"Again, today's guilty plea is not a surprise to as, as we've been working closely with federal authorities to root out corruption," she said. "As the investigation continues, we anticipate additional guilty pleas in the coming weeks. We will continue to be aggressive in reporting and rooting out corruption and hold all city employees accountable for their actions."
The city suspended 12 police officers in May - which did not include Ortmann -- as a result of the federal investigation.
Other officers who have pleaded guilty in the investigation have admitted to accepting cash from private companies and other officers for participating in the scheme and allowing companies to work without officers present.
Ortmann and O'Leary will both be sentenced on Jan. 3.
Jersey Journal staff writer Terrence McDonald contributed to this report
Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.