TRENTON, N.J. — A suspended IT employee with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families has been criminally charged after allegedly accepting illegal payments in exchange for confidential information and case assistance, officials announced.
Susaida Nazario, 44, of Trenton, was charged Monday with multiple offenses, including official misconduct and theft by deception, after investigators say she shared sensitive DCF records and impersonated fictitious coworkers to mislead two individuals connected to DCF cases.
Key Points:
- Susaida Nazario allegedly accepted over $800 in exchange for confidential DCF case information.
- She is accused of fabricating identities and impersonating fake DCF staff to deceive individuals.
- Charges include two counts of official misconduct and one count of theft by deception.
Nazario, employed by the DCF IT Division from January 2021 through October 2023, is accused of exploiting her access to internal systems to improperly assist individuals involved in Department of Child Protection & Permanency cases. Authorities say one person paid Nazario over $800 starting in March 2021 for case help and internal file access.
In that case, Nazario allegedly invented two fake coworkers and used multiple phone numbers to impersonate them during calls and texts, misleading the individual into believing they were receiving official support.
In a separate incident, Nazario allegedly used her role to access private case details and accepted both money and property from a second individual. Investigators say she falsely expressed romantic interest and claimed she could help resolve the person’s DCF case favorably.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said the charges reflect the state’s effort to hold public workers accountable. “As alleged, this defendant used her position and access to DCF records in order to obtain and divulge confidential information for her own financial benefit,” Platkin said.
Nazario faces five charges: two counts of second-degree official misconduct, second-degree acceptance of an unlawful benefit, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, and third-degree theft by deception. If convicted, she could face over a decade in prison and fines exceeding $150,000.
