TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A former electrical code inspector who took bribes from contractors for nearly a decade is now headed to prison.
State authorities say Mitchell Perkins received a three-year sentence Friday.
The 68-year-old Stafford resident was an electrical sub-code official/inspector for Lakewood before he was arrested in September 2015. He soon retired and then pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge.
Prosecutors say Perkins took the bribes in return for preferential treatment in the scheduling and conducting of inspections. And in at least one instance, they say he approved work that wasn’t actually inspected.
After learning Perkins was taking bribes, state authorities say they learned he had accepted four separate payments of $300 from an electrical contractor between May and September 2015. The contractor was serving as a cooperating witness at the time.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.