Officer loses job, gets probation for theft from local housing authority

A Sayreville police officer has been ordered by a judge in New Brunswick to forfeit his job and was placed on probation for stealing more than $20,000 in federal housing assistance funds.

NEW BRUNSWICK A Sayreville police officer was ordered to forfeit public employment. including his job, and was placed on probation for three years after admitting he stole more than $20,000 in rent subsidies paid by the Sayreville Housing Authority.

Stephen Gulick, 51, had no comment during his sentencing this morning by Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz in New Brunswick.

Gulick pleaded guilty in June
to one count of theft by deception, admitting he took the money between Feb. 2, 2012 and July 8, 2013.

The sentence Gulick received was part of his plea bargain with Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor Thomas Mannion.

Authorities said Gulick began legally collecting the rent subsidies, which came from the federal government, to subsidize the rent paid by a female tenant at a property he owned in Sayreville.

He later married the tenant, who then became ineligible for housing assistance, but still collected and cashed 18 housing authority checks totaling $20,466, on her behalf, authorities said.

As part of his plea bargain, Gulick has agreed to repay the full amount of the money he took illegally.

Gulick, a 14-year veteran of the borough police department, was charged in November 2013.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvanced media.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.