Former coach sentenced to seven-year prison term On April 18, Robert Nanni, a former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer, was sentenced to seven years in New Jersey state prison by state Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet, sitting in Freehold. According to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Nanni, 53, of Howell, previously pleaded guilty to the second-degree crime of official misconduct and the third-degree crimes of theft by deception and theft of services on March 10. Nanni was employed as a Port Authority police officer fromJune 1986 until June 2006 and was assigned to Port Authority substations at the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing. His responsibilities included, among others, inspecting commercial vehicles entering New York City as well as "spot checking" those vehicles for the requisite licenses and permits. From 2004 until 2006, Nanni, during his off-duty hours, managed the North Howell Stingrays, a travel baseball teamof 12-year-olds. An investigation conducted by the Port Authority Police Department and theMonmouth County Prosecutor's Office revealed that between September 2004 and July 2006, Nanni, while on duty and in uniform, solicited donations for his travel teamfrom truckers he had stopped for vehicular violations. During this time period Nanni repeatedly let truckers that he had stopped, and to whomhe could have legitimately issued summonses, know that if they made financial donations to his travel baseball team, they would not be ticketed. For the truckers who were unable to pay him immediately during the traffic stop, Nanni would visit their respective company headquarters in New York and New Jersey, in uniform and in a marked Port Authority police car to collect his sought-after donations. The investigation further revealed that Nanni deposited all the solicited donations into the baseball team's account at Investors Savings Bank, where Nanni was the sole signatory for the account. The investigation established that Nanni spent virtually all of the donated funds totaling nearly $37,645 by way of ATM withdrawals, debits and checks written to cash. Nanni used the money not for his baseball team's benefit, but rather for his own lifestyle expenditures, including purchasing furniture,makingmortgage payments, paying for construction and paying taxes, according to the press release. Additionally, the investigation determined that Nanni had contracted with the owner of a banquet hall on Route 9 inManalapan to rent the hall on June 16, 2006, for his daughter's Sweet 16 birthday party. Nanni signed the contract which obligated him to pay $14,180 for the party in installments. Nanni paid a total of $8,030 in five separate cash payments between January and September 2006, leaving an unpaid balance of $6,150. On March 10, during his plea allocution, Nanni acknowledged that he purposely decided not to pay the balance of the money he owed for the rental of the facility and the services they provided. Pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement and in compliance with New Jersey law, Nanni forever forfeited his ability to hold any future public office in New Jersey upon the entry of his guilty plea. In addition, Nanni signed separate civil consent orders acknowledging the nearly $43,795 he owes to themany victims he defrauded in this case. One consent order in the amount of $6,150 pertains to the debt Nanni owes the Manalapan banquet hall owner. The second consent order in the amount of $17,480 addresses themoney he stole from his New Jersey victims. The final consent order in the amount of $20,165 addresses themoney he defrauded from his New York victims. Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, "The state prison sentence imposed upon Nanni ensures that he will be appropriately punished for his brazen thefts and for the disgraceful manner in which he conducted himself while wearing the uniform of the Port Authority Police Department." Valentin credited the PortAuthority Police Department for initiating the investigation and for its assistance and support throughout the investigation and prosecution.