FREEHOLD, NJ — James R. Cadigan, a 41-year-old sergeant with the Wall Township Police Department, has admitted to stealing over $115,000 from various organizations, including his local Police Benevolent Association (PBA) chapter and a youth football nonprofit, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced.
During a hearing before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Christie Bevacqua, Cadigan pled guilty to second- and third-degree Theft by Unlawful Taking. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibility & Bias Crime Bureau initiated an investigation into Cadigan’s activities following a referral from the Wall Township PBA Local No. 234.
The investigation uncovered that Cadigan made unauthorized cash withdrawals and wrote checks to himself from PBA accounts, starting in 2018. Additionally, as President of the Wall American Youth Football (AYF) organization from February 2020 to November 2022, Cadigan used a debit card intended for the organization to purchase personal items totaling approximately $20,000.
Cadigan also kept approximately $3,000 raised for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and another $3,000 raised for a friend with a brain aneurysm, later using PBA funds to repay the latter.
Cadigan is barred from holding public office in New Jersey. Sentencing is scheduled for March 14, 2024, with the State recommending eight years in state prison, reducible to five years upon full restitution payment: approximately $91,500 to the PBA and $24,200 to the AYF.
Prosecutor Santiago emphasized the severity of Cadigan’s betrayal of public trust, while Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran stated that Cadigan’s actions do not represent the department’s integrity and professionalism.