Crime & Safety

Former Newark Cop Admits Guilt in Second Fraud

Kamara lied about car theft, housing arrangements to reap more than $70K

A former Newark police officer admitted Friday he scammed his automobile insurance carrier out of more than $10,000 -- the second time this month the officer pleaded guilty in a fraud case.

State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said Suliaman Kamara, 31, was a member of the force Feb. 23, 2009, when he called Newark police and reported his 2003 GMC Yukon had been stolen. His insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual, reimbursed him for the truck, its contents and a rental vehicle. 

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Kamara’s scheme unravalled when the State Police found the truck parked in front of his home last March and obtained a search warrant. The car had a license plate from another vehicle.

In an unrelated case, Kamara admitted in federal court May 8 that he and his wife fraudulently collected $60,000 in rental assistance under the Section 8 program for low-income families. Kamara’s wife, who was living with him in a home he owned, applied for the benefits for several years without mentioning her marriage to Kamara.  

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When he is sentenced Aug. 23, Kamara faces up to 364 days in jail and must make restitution under the plea agreement he reached with the state. He also faces up to five years in jail in the housing assistance fraud, for which he will be sentenced Aug. 12.

The sentence in the state case will run concurrently with the federal sentence, Chiesa said. 


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