Lawsuit: Vice president of IT conspired to defraud NJMG

The Record's headquarters at 150 River St. in Hackensack after the landmark building was closed and employees moved to Woodland Park.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Peter Van Lenten Jr., who was North Jersey Media Group's vice president of information technology until April 2009, allegedly helped about two dozen others defraud the publishing company by submitting "false and inflated invoices" for equipment and services, according to a lawsuit.

The NJMG lawsuit, filed in April, alleges the company paid more than $2 million "on false and/or inflated invoices" from 2001 to 2009.

Van Lenten, who died in April 2010, also is alleged to have helped other defendants "supply temporary workers to NJMG at greatly inflated charges."

"From 2001 to 2009, NJMG paid ... in excess of $1 million for temporary workers," including retired NJMG employees, the lawsuit alleges.

NJMG also paid invoices "for time that was not worked" or for temp workers whose qualifications were misrepresented "to charge inflated rates for their time," according to the lawsuit.

Mary Linley, a personal assistant, was paid $22.50 an hour when she retired from NJMG in August 2001, according to the suit, but defendant IC Systems Solutions charged the company $47 an hour for her time when she returned as a temp.

Tom Hemmerling was paid $22.27 an hour on the IT Help Desk at NJMG when he retired in August 2001, according to the suit, but ICSS charged the company $60 an hour for his time.

Porn suit

Van Lenten figured in another lawsuit, this one filed by former employee Tracey McCain against NJMG and Chairman Malcolm A. "Mac" Borg.

She alleged that Borg was using company computers to disseminate pornography to other managers, including Van Lenten, her boss.

As reported in a previous Eye on The Record post:

"McCain, of Englewood, says she worked for NJMG from 2000 to April 22, 2009, when she was fired. 

"She was hired as technical coordinator for the IT department in what is now Woodland Park. In 2007, she was promoted to IT logistics manager.

"Borg, who is in his 70s, is the former publisher of The Record, a job taken over by his son, Stephen A. Borg, who was not a defendant in the suit. The elder Borg also lives in Englewood.

"McCain says one of her duties was to read e-mails sent to her supervisor, who was identified in legal papers as Peter Van Lenten Jr., the late vice president of information technology.

"Commencing in or about 2000 and until plaintiff's employment terminated [April 2009], defendant Borg committed acts of sexual harassment of plaintiff," according to the complaint.

NJMG and the elder Borg settled McCain's suit in September 2011 by paying her an unspecified amount of money.

In addition to the Van Lenten estate, the fraud suit filed in April names as defendants:

IC Systems Solutions Inc. and Computer Network Solutions LLC, both of 270 Broadway in Hillsdale; and Philip and Nancy Nolan of Montvale, officers of one or both companies.

Also named as defendants were 10 unnamed current or former NJMG employees, and 10 unnamed companies "who assisted defendants in defrauding NJMG." 

An amended answer filed last week by Stephen R. Bosin of River Edge, attorney for the Van Lenten estate, denies the allegations.

The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Robert C. Wilson in Hackensack.

Today's paper

On Page 1 today, two of The Record's sorry columnists nibble at the edges of last week's big stories -- the death and career of U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, and the bid of Newark Mayor Cory Booker to replace the New Jersey Democrat in Washington.

Political Columnist Charles Stile claims Booker is copying Governor Christie's style.

Burned-out Columnist Mike Kelly came up with a really lame idea -- interviewing people who live in the Paterson apartment and neighborhood where Lautenberg grew up "more than eight decades ago."

Both columns carefully avoid discussing Lautenberg and Booker in terms of politicians who see their basic missions as helping people better their lives, while Christie sees his as bettering his life and the lives of his wealthy supporters.

Also on A-1, the obituary of Sallie Brady, 47, a magazine writer who died recently in a Ramsey house fire, reports her interesting life was cut short by a faulty dishwasher (A-8).

Road laziness

Road Warrior Columnist John Cichowski sees his mission as staying as close to his computer as possible and avoiding the legwork every good reporter must do, especially one writing about commuting problems.

Today, Cichowski rewrites a press release on New  Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. giving driving simulators to 55 high schools (L-1), which has nothing to do with commuting.

Last week, in his column on impatient drivers at right-turn-on-red intersections, a concerned reader had this to say in an e-mail to Editor Marty Gottlieb and management:

"The Road Warrior focuses his column of June 5 on over-exaggerated, unsubstantiated and  false claims of readers. It is about a supposed widespread epidemic of a significant portion of drivers blowing their horns at others signaling to turn right at red lights.

"The few exaggerated claims from readers are either irrelevant based on cited intersections, which I frequently use, or are not supported since there was NO Road Warrior investigation about those cases.

"When a reader claims 'everybody' is honking at her when she stops to turn at red lights, you know that is next to impossible, unless she is causing her own problems.

"Readers cite specific intersections and towns where this horn blowing is 'virulent' or 'epidemic.' Yet, I NEVER hear any horn blowing when I frequent these intersections or traffic volume is so low that there are very few drivers that even turn right on red.

"The Road Warrior simply assumes the over-exaggerated or false claims are true and assembles a misleading story that further distorts the facts. 

"The Road Warrior once again provides long- winded irrelevant and incorrect answers to readers' questions. He seems to be unable to comprehend readers' questions about traffic lights and walk signals in order to provide relevant answers."

For the full e-mail, see the Facebook page for Road Warrior Bloopers:

Blowing smoke about right turns on red

Of course, a real menace are impatient or late drivers who speed, tailgate and cut off others, especially on the parkway and turnpike, and the decline in enforcement.