BAYVILLE, NJ – A New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) lieutenant has been charged with stealing state-owned ammunition and reselling it for personal profit, netting hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years, officials announced.
Timothy Morris, 56, of Bayville, was charged with official misconduct, theft, and structuring financial transactions following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA), the New Jersey State Police, and NJDOC’s Special Investigations Division. Prosecutors allege that as NJDOC’s Range Master, Morris ordered excess ammunition and sold it on the secondary market for personal financial gain.
Authorities say Morris, who has held his position since 2008, was responsible for maintaining ammunition at multiple NJDOC gun ranges and the Special Operations Group Headquarters in Trenton. Since at least January 2019, he allegedly used his role to divert state-purchased ammunition, selling it to a gun supply store in exchange for direct cash and check payments. Investigators estimate he profited more than $475,000 through the scheme.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin denounced the alleged misconduct, stating, “The defendant allegedly abused his law enforcement position to steal from the public, and he tried to conceal it with financial transactions designed to fly under the radar.” Officials allege that Morris structured his bank deposits to avoid detection, cashing multiple checks in a manner intended to evade the $10,000 bank reporting threshold.
NJDOC Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn emphasized the agency’s commitment to accountability, stating that any violation of public trust would be aggressively pursued. Morris has been suspended from his position pending the outcome of the case.
If convicted, Morris faces up to 10 years in state prison for the second-degree charges and up to five years for the third-degree charge. Authorities continue to investigate the extent of the scheme.