ATLANTIC CITY — An Atlantic County election official has been charged with pilfering from the public coffer.

Prosecutors say Michael Gibbons, the deputy chief of the Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections' Office, padded the paychecks of two workers with overtime they never worked last year. Afterward, he asked one of the workers for the money, officials said.

Prosecutors also say Gibbons, 33, used public funds to pay two employees to clear out his mother's attic. He also used a county vehicle for the personal work, officials said.

The Stratford resident was charged with second-degree official misconduct and third-degree theft by deception.

“Public officials who misuse the valuable resources entrusted to them shake the faith in our system that all of us rely upon for the delivery of various services,” Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner said in a statement. “This case demonstrates that Atlantic County government has an effective system of checks and balances in place which identified the crime and then promptly reported it to our office for prosecution.”

Gibbons was not arrested but was charged via summons that was delivered to his attorney, John Zarych, who could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

According to state pension records, Gibbons earned a base salary of less than $35,000.

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