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An Asbury Park daycare and pre-school owner pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges related to fraudulent contracts, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said in news release.

Sylvia B. Brodrick, 59, of Shadow Lawn Drive in Ocean Township’s Oakhurst section, pleaded guilty to two counts of a second degree charge that she made false material representations in performance of a government contract.

Brodrick admitted to fraudulently receiving more than $40,000 under two contracts with the Asbury Park Board of Education [BOE] after submitting expenses for a janitor that was not in fact employed at her Little Tots II daycare on Mattison Avenue, the new release states.

As part of the negotiated plea agreement, the State will recommend Brodrick be sentenced to a term of four years in a state prison for each of the two counts [to run concurrently] and is ordered to pay the full restitution of $43,130.05 to the BOE.

Additionally, Brodrick [or any company which she controls more than 10 percent] will be ineligible to bid, contract, or otherwise conduct business with the State of New Jersey, or any political subdivisions, for a period of 20 year, according to the news release.

A Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office investigation revealed that Brodrick operated under a contract with the BOE for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years. During that time, she submitted staffing expense reports and supporting documentation seeking repayment for the salary of an individual listed in the Little Tots II expense reports as a janitor, the news release states.

However, it was determined that the individual listed in the expense reports interviewed for the job as a night janitor in 2010 but worked only one night before quitting the post. Despite never collecting a paycheck for the one night of work, Brodrick regularly reported that individual as a continued employee.

The Little Tots II contracts with the APBOE were valued at over $1.2 million for the 2010-11 school year and over $800,000 for the 2011-12 school year, Gramiccioni said.

The services were provided without charge to the eligible children and the costs associated with the programs were reimbursed by the school district.

The investigation also uncovered that a second individual [not legally documented to work in the United States] was paid ‘under the table’ in cash during the two contract years. This individual, whose employment was never reported to the APBOE, was never subjected to a criminal background check or a child abuse record information check as required by both the terms of the contracts with the BOE as well as the governing State standards for child care centers such as Little Tots II, the news release states.

Brodrick is scheduled to return for sentencing before Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Reisner on October 23, 2015. The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor David Fritch.

Brodrick is represented by Robert Honecker, Esq., of Ocean Township.

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