Wildwood mayor, former mayor and city commissioner accused of fraud, facing charges

WILDWOOD, N.J. - Three Wildwood lawmakers, including its current mayor, are being charged by the state of New Jersey.

Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steven Mikulski have all been accused of fraudulently participating in the State Health Benefits Program, according to AG Matthew Platkin.

All three city officials allegedly received publicly funded health benefits, despite never being eligible:

• $286,500 in premiums and claims on behalf of Troiano from July 2011 through December 2019
• $608,900 in premiums and claims on behalf of Byron from July 2011 through October 2021
• $103,000 in premiums and claims on behalf of Mikulski through October 2021

To be eligible to receive employer-provided healthcare, elected officials must be full-time employees. Officials say Byron, Troiano and Mikulski were never "full-time" employees as defined by state law.

Troiano and Byron are accused of falsely signing and submitting timesheets indicating they worked full days Monday through Friday. While Mikulski is accused of knowingly making false statements in a "Health Benefits Enrollment and/or Change Form."

Byron, Troiano and Mikulski are each charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking and third-degree tampering with public records or information.