TRENTON, N.J. — Former Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso has been sentenced to probation and fined $15,000 after pleading guilty to abusing municipal resources for his private business and submitting fraudulent permit applications, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Friday.
Bonaccorso, 64, admitted to conspiring to commit official misconduct and forgery in a plea deal reached with the state. He was sentenced by New Jersey Superior Court Assignment Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh in Union County. The agreement also permanently bars him from public employment and prevents his company, Bonaccorso & Son LLC, from bidding on public contracts for five years.
Investigators found that while in office, Bonaccorso operated his oil tank removal business from his township office, using government resources and directing municipal employees to perform tasks for the business while being paid with taxpayer funds. Additionally, he and his company fraudulently used an engineer’s credentials on permit applications, bypassing required inspections.
“The former mayor misused taxpayer-funded resources in Clark to benefit and enrich himself at residents’ expense,” Attorney General Platkin said, adding that the prosecution ensures Bonaccorso will never again hold public office.
Bonaccorso’s sentencing follows an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which charged him in November 2023.