Ritacco says he's still Toms River schools chief
Regional board of education to meet today
By MATTHEW McGRATH and HARTRIONO B. SASTROWARDOYO,
April 23, 2010

TOMS RIVER — Michael J. Ritacco remained at the helm of the Toms River Regional School District on
Friday, a day after federal agents raided district offices, his Seaside Park home and the home of
another district employee as part of a fraud and corruption investigation.

When reached by cell phone Friday afternoon, Ritacco, 62, said there was no change in his status
as superintendent. However, he added he might have more to say Saturday.

A special meeting of the nine-member Toms River Board of Education will take place at 1:45 p.m. today
at Toms River Intermediate School North on Intermediate North Way.

With today's session set up to discuss subpoenas issued for personnel and records of school district
employees, school board members were unwilling to comment Friday about Ritacco and the federal
investigation.

Any change in Ritacco's status as superintendent of the Toms River Regional School District would
require an act of the school board. Ritacco is also superintendent of the schools in Seaside Heights
and Seaside Park.

"I don't know what's going to happen," said Peter Smith, the Seaside Heights school board president.
"A police investigation doesn't necessarily mean some sort of board action."

Ritacco has been superintendent of Seaside Heights' school district, which consists of a lone grade
school, the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School, since 2003.

"He's been a nice superintendent to us in all the years we've had him," Smith said. "He's been great,
helping us to save a few bucks."

Ritacco's salary is $228,000 a year, and does not receive additional pay checks for his duties as the
Seaside Heights and Seaside Park superintendent. His contract expires in December 2012.

He was not at work Thursday, and Tammi Millar, spokeswoman for the Toms River Regional School
District, did not return several calls for comment Friday.

Early Thursday morning, federal agents seized boxes of documents from school board offices,
Ritacco's three-story home and another home owned by 42-year-old Donna M. Mansfield — the
manager of school district-owned Cafe@1144, which is located inside the school district
headquarters on Hooper Avenue. Agents also impounded Ritacco's car.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey on Friday said she could not comment,
noting it is her office's policy to neither confirm nor deny the existence of investigations.

A spokesman for the FBI did not immediately respond Friday to an e-mail seeking comment.

No one has been charged, and what authorities were looking for still remains unclear. But sources said
Thursday that the fraud and corruption investigation could be linked to the regional school district's insurance contracts.

The Toms River school district has a contract with Federal Hill Risk Management, an insurance and risk
management firm that has done business with the Brick Township Municipal Utilities and Housing
authorities. However, federal agents did not subpoena or seize documents from the two Brick Federal Hill Risk Management, an insurance and risk management firm that has done business with the Brick Township Municipal Utilities and Housing authorities. However, federal agents did not subpoena or seize documents from the two Brick authorities, officials said.

Federal Hill Risk Management of Towson, Md., which has an office in South Amboy, manages the
Toms River schools $30 million insurance budget, according to the company's website. It provides risk
management services, which is required by the Brick authorities' insurance providers, they said.

An automated answering service at the South Amboy office gives callers three choices to speak with
people at the company and an option to leave a message in the general mailbox. All four mailboxes
were full Friday.

Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis turned away Federal Hill's owner, Frank X. Gartland, after Gartland
approached Acropolis sometime last year with a proposal for the township to use his company's
service, the mayor said.

Utilities chief and Ocean County Freeholder James Lacey and Joe Coranado, the housing authority
attorney, said Federal Hill received Brick authority contracts because they were the lowest bidder in an
open process that complied with state contract laws.

Federal Hill also has an office in Toms River at 1000 Washington St., according to telephone listings. No
one answered a phone number for that address. A voicemail message tells callers that they have
reached an insurance agency.

However, Federal Hill does not have an office at that address. There are three companies with offices in
the two-story building. Employees leaving for the day on Friday said they had worked in the building
for more than a year and Federal Hill did not have office there during that time.

Staff writers Chelsea Michels and Michelle Sahn contributed to this report, authorities, officials said.

Federal Hill Risk Management of Towson, Md., which has an office in South Amboy, manages the
Toms River schools $30 million insurance budget, according to the company's website. It provides risk
management services, which is required by the Brick authorities' insurance providers, they said.

An automated answering service at the South Amboy office gives callers three choices to speak with
people at the company and an option to leave a message in the general mailbox. All four mailboxes
were full Friday.

Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis turned away Federal Hill's owner, Frank X. Gartland, after Gartland
approached Acropolis sometime last year with a proposal for the township to use his company's
service, the mayor said.

Utilities chief and Ocean County Freeholder James Lacey and Joe Coranado, the housing authority
attorney, said Federal Hill received Brick authority contracts because they were the lowest bidder in an
open process that complied with state contract laws.

Federal Hill also has an office in Toms River at 1000 Washington St., according to telephone listings. No
one answered a phone number for that address. A voicemail message tells callers that they have
reached an insurance agency.

However, Federal Hill does not have an office at that address. There are three companies with offices in
the two-story building. Employees leaving for the day on Friday said they had worked in the building
for more than a year and Federal Hill did not have office there during that time.

Staff writers Chelsea Michels and Michelle Sahn contributed to this report.

FBI corruption probe targets Toms River school superintendent's home, office
By Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger, April 22, 2010, 1:03PM
LINK

TOMS RIVER — Federal investigators raided the offices of the Toms River Regional Board of Education and the home of its superintendent today, impounding his Mercedes Benz and seizing dozens of boxes of records as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.

More than a dozen agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service arrived early this morning at the district office and at the Seaside Park home of superintendent Michael J. Ritacco.

An FBI spokesman, Bryan Travers, confirmed the raids were underway but declined to comment on the nature of the probe. A law enforcement official with knowledge of the probe said it was corruption related. The official declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.

With more than 16,000 students, the Toms River school district is the fourth largest in the state, according to the district Website. A spokeswoman, Tammi Millar, said the district is cooperating with the investigation.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman declined to comment.

The agents arrived in seven cars this morning at Ritacco's home on 11th Avenue in Seaside Park. The three-story home stands a block from the ocean. A fountain adorns the front yard. Aside from taking roughly 12 boxes, the investigators photographed the backyard pool and wet bar. Before leaving, they impounded a black Mercedes Benz E 550 that was parked in the driveway.

An unidentified man who answered the phone at Ritacco’s home this morning said he was not available.

Ritacco, 62, has worked for the district for roughly 40 years, earning more than $226,500 annually, according to state records. He is somewhat of a local icon. The Ritacco Center -- a 3,500 seat arena that opened in 2003 to host sporting events, concerts and trade shows -- is named in his honor.

Agents also searched a home in Toms River owned by Donna M. Mansfield who has worked 11 years for the district.