Manchester Man Faked Credentials For NJ Engineer Job: Authorities

TRENTON, NJ — A Manchester Township man has been indicted on charges he falsified his academic credentials to get his engineering job and promotions in the state Department of Transportation, the state attorney general's office said Friday.

Roger Sequeira, 64, of Whiting, was indicted on second-degree official misconduct, second-degree theft by deception, third-degree theft by deception, and third-degree tampering with public records or information, the attorney general's office said.

Sequeira, who was suspended from his job, is accused of submitting a fraudulent document that was purported to be a transcript from La Salle University showing he had earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the school, authorities said.

Sequeira is accused of committing the deception from Nov. 24, 2007 through June 16, 2020, costing the state more than $75,000 in additional compensation paid to Sequeira based on "fraudulently obtained promotions," authorities said.

In addition, he is accused of stealing more than $500 between Oct. 22, 2018, and March 20, 2020, by fraudulently taking leave he claimed was for illness or visits to healthcare providers and submitting false documents purporting to be from healthcare providers to support that leave time.

The state transportation department's Inspector General initially investigated and then referred it to the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau, authorities said.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The second-degree charge of official misconduct carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison without the possibility of parole. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

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