Corrections Officer Charged with Stealing, Selling State-Owned Ammunition

State corrections lieutenant accused of illegally reselling taxpayer-funded ammunition

NEW JERSEY – A New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) lieutenant who oversaw the department’s firing ranges has been charged with theft and official misconduct after allegedly stealing and reselling state-owned ammunition for hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.

Timothy Morris, 56, of Bayville, has been charged by complaint with:

• Official misconduct (2nd degree)
• Theft (2nd degree)
• Structuring financial transactions (3rd degree)

The charges result from an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability’s (OPIA) Corruption Bureau, along with the New Jersey State Police and NJDOC’s Special Investigations Division. Morris, who has been suspended from his position, allegedly exploited his role to order excess ammunition and sell it on the secondary market for personal gain.

“As the allegations in this case show, corruption is an expensive drain on public resources and victimizes taxpayers. My office refuses to accept that as business as usual.” said Attorney General Platkin. “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.”

Morris has served as the NJDOC Range Master since 2008, overseeing ammunition inventory for four state-run gun ranges:

• Annandale (Hunterdon County) – Northern Region
• Browns Mills (Burlington County) – Central Region
• Maurice River (Cumberland County) – Southern Region
• Corrections Staff Training Academy (Sea Girt, Monmouth County)

He was also responsible for ammunition stored at the Special Operations Group Headquarters in Trenton.

According to the allegations, since at least January 2019, Morris used his authority to order excessive amounts of ammunition, which he then resold in exchange for cash and personal check payments from a gun supply store. Authorities estimate he profited more than $475,000 from these illegal sales at the expense of taxpayers.

The investigation also alleges that Morris structured financial transactions to avoid detection. By cashing multiple checks in small increments, he evaded bank reporting requirements designed to flag large or suspicious deposits, specifically the $10,000 federal reporting threshold.

“As alleged, the defendant saddled the taxpayers of New Jersey with funding his unlawful side business while he pocketed the profits,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “Anyone who abuses the public’s trust and finances should know they will be detected and held to account.”

If convicted, Morris faces:

• Five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000 for each second-degree charge
• Three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 for the third-degree charge

Attorney General Platkin credited the investigative work of the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau and the NJDOC’s Special Investigations Division.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Richard Bobbe, under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrock, Deputy Corruption Bureau Chief Marian Galietta, and Corruption Bureau Co-Directors Jeff Manis and Eric Gibson. OPIA Executive Director Tom Skinner is overseeing the case.

These charges are merely accusations, and Morris is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.