Former Ventnor, NJ, code enforcement officer indicted on official misconduct

A former code enforcement officer with the City of Ventnor has been indicted on several charges including official misconduct.

Last Thursday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says 37-year-old Michelle Calderon of Egg Harbor Township was indicted for the following crimes:

• Second-degree pattern of official misconduct
• Second-degree official misconduct
• Second-degree misapplication of entrusted property
• Second-degree failure to make lawful disposition of property
• Second-degree altering computer software to commit theft
• Fourth-degree tampering with records

Authorities say the charges stem from an investigation that began when the City of Ventnor observed a discrepancy within its financial ledgers.

It is alleged that from 2021 through 2023, Calderon took cash transactions from citizens and businesses intended as payment for various city permits and kept the cash for herself. She would then alter the balance sheets using a city-owned computer to cover up the discrepancies.

The total amount of cash taken exceeds $75,000, according to authorities.

The investigation was conducted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Professional Standards & Accountability Unit and the Ventnor City Police Department. Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy represents the State in this matter.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.