Atlantic Highlands longshoreman hardly worked for $500K, investigator say

He got nearly a half-million dollars a year for a low-show job, say federal investigators, and now an Atlantic Highlands stevedore risks up to five years in prison for each of 14 charges in a federal indictment.

Paul Moe Sr., 66, is charged with 13 substantive counts of wire fraud, and one of conspiracy, according to Acting New Jersey U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick's office. After appearing in a Newark courtroom today, Moe was released on a $250,000 unsecured bond. An arraignment has yet to be scheduled.

Moe, a member of the International Longshoreman's Associaiton (ILA), is a general foreman at a Port Elizabeth terminal.

Investigators allege that between September 2015 and March 2017, Moe collected nearly $500,000 in annual wages - about $9,300 each week - for a 40-hour job in which he reported for as few as eight hours weekly.

Authorities believe that Moe's co-workers filled his time cards, and added up to 16 hours of overtime a day. The 13 wire fraud counts apply to one-week increments in which Moe, while out of state or out of the country, was paid for minimum 40-hour weeks, investigators said.

A conviction on each charge carries a possible sentence of up to five years, and fines as high as $250,000.

Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O'Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Agnew represent the government in the case. Moe is represented by New York attorney Gerald McMahon.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.