Alfonso A. Zamarra

Introduction

Alfonso A. Zamarra, 58, of Rutherford, New Jersey, was charged by complaint with 28 counts of wire fraud for obtaining payments from Hudson County, New Jersey, for work he did not perform and then applying for unemployment benefits in connection with that purported work. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the charges; Zamarra made his initial appearance in Newark before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte and was released on a $100,000 bond.

Background Information

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, during three approximately six-month periods spanning late 2019 through July 2023, Zamarra held a “no-show” job as a seasonal worker with the Hudson County Parks Department. During those periods he caused timesheets to be submitted to the county so he would be paid for work he did not actually perform. Because seasonal employees were prohibited from working more than six months in any 12-month period, Zamarra submitted claims for unemployment benefits to the New Jersey Department of Labor during the stretches when he did not hold the position. As a result, he received tens of thousands of dollars in wages and unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. The 28 wire-fraud counts come from a criminal complaint, which prosecutors themselves frame as allegations only. The release states: “The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” Zamarra has not yet entered a plea.

The complaint’s core allegation is a double-dipping scheme: pay for county work never performed, then unemployment benefits keyed to the gaps between those purported work stints. Each of the 28 wire-fraud counts corresponds to the alleged fraudulent payments, and the case was referred to prosecutors with the backing of multiple agencies that traced the wages and the jobless claims. No trial date or plea has been publicly reported, and the charges remain unadjudicated.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case lands on a public payroll: Hudson County is a New Jersey county government, and the allegations describe its Parks Department paying a seasonal worker who was not working. If convicted, Zamarra faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on each count. U.S. Attorney Frazer credited the FBI Newark Field Office under Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Northeast Region under Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, Customs and Border Protection under New York Director of Field Operations Frank Russo, and the Port Authority Police Department under Edward T. Cetnar with the investigation.

Current Status

Zamarra has been charged and released on bond pending further proceedings in the District of New Jersey. The government is represented by Senior Trial Counsel Francesca Liquori of the Special Prosecutions Division and Unit Chief Jason Goldberg of the Criminal Division. No conviction has occurred, no plea has been entered, and the outcome of the case remains to be determined by the court.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The complaint ends Zamarra’s association with the Hudson County Parks Department payroll and exposes him to a theoretical maximum exposure measured in decades, given the 20-year maximum attached to each of the 28 counts. Whatever the case’s final disposition, the allegations describe a no-show job and unemployment claims that prosecutors say spanned roughly four years, from late 2019 through July 2023, and cost the county and the state’s labor system tens of thousands of dollars in payments to which he was not entitled.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, “Former Hudson County Parks Department “No-Show” Worker Charged with 28 Counts of Wire Fraud” — source