FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY — Disgraced former Port Authority police officer Robert Nanni was sentenced to seven years in state prison this morning for shaking down local businesses and drivers.
Nanni, 54, of Howell, who pleaded guilty last month to charges of official misconduct, theft by deception and theft of services, apologized to his victims, the Port Authority Police Department and the prosecutor’s office for his actions.
“I’ve spent most of my life trying to do right by the people,” Nanni said in court. “I should have known better… There’s no excuse for what I did.”
State Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet called Nanni a “rotten apple” who “shook down” his victims.
“There is a double standard, and there should be,” Chaiet said of law enforcement officials. “We expect more from the people we ask to uphold our laws. That’s the way it should be.”
Nanni must also make restitution of more than $43,000 to his victims.
Prosecutors said Nanni used his position as a Port Authority police officer assigned to substations at the Goethals Bridge and Outerbridge crossing to “shake down” truckers and trucking companies under the guise of the North Howell Stringrays baseball team, a travel baseball team of 12-year-olds he managed.
Nanni, while on duty, would pull over the truckers traveling the spans looking for vehicular violations. In exchange for not writing a summons for violations, Nanni would solicit donations to the baseball team, according to prosecutors.
Truckers who could not pay on the spot were visited later by Nanni, who arrived in uniform and in a marked Port Authority patrol car, according to authorities.
Nanni would deposit all the monies in the account of the baseball team, but later withdraw the money for personal expenses. He deposited and withdrew nearly $70,000 to buy furniture, make mortgage payments, pay taxes, and construction costs, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Additionally, he threw a “Sweet Sixteen” birthday party for his daughter at a Manalapan banquet hall for $14,180. After making several payments, Nanni decided he would not pay a $6,150 balance, according to the prosecution.
In other instances, Nanni used his position and uniform to intimidate and steal from local store owners. Nanni admited he would go into local stores and taken lottery scratch-off tickets without paying for them.
“He would walk out of the store because he didn’t rub off any winners,” Monmouth County Assistant Prosector John Loughrey explained. “Store owners were afraid he would come back with some revenge, or that other officers would come back and extract some sort of vengeance.”
“This is the climate (Mr. Nanni) created,” Loughrey said.
Nanni retired from the Port Authority after 20 years of service. As part of his sentence he will forfeit hold any future public office in New Jersey.
Chaiet also signed three orders making Nanni responsible for repaying victims in New Jersey and New York, as well as reimbursing the Manalapan banquet hall. The total amount Nanni is responsible to repay is now $43,295.
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