Mercer Times

An employee of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) faces criminal charges for allegedly accepting illegal payments to share confidential information. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) announced the charges against Susaida Nazario, who is currently suspended from her IT position at DCF.

On March 25, 2025, Nazario, 44, from Trenton, New Jersey, was charged with various offenses, including acceptance or receipt of an unlawful benefit by a public servant for official behavior, theft by deception, official misconduct, and a pattern of official misconduct. These charges stem from an investigation by the OPIA Corruption Bureau.

Attorney General Platkin commented, “This case underscores our commitment to ensuring there is accountability when public employees violate their duty and the public’s trust.” He added that the allegations suggest that Nazario used her position for personal gain by accessing and divulging confidential DCF information. Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA, echoed this statement, stating, “Anyone who seeks to illegally profit from their State job should know they will be held to account.”

Nazario was employed as a technical assistant with the DCF IT Division in Trenton from January 2021 through October 2023. According to the charges, she solicited and received over $800 in payments from an individual involved in a DCF case, providing assistance and confidential information under false pretenses. The investigation claims she misrepresented herself as a DCF caseworker and created fictitious identities to claim further assistance.

In a separate incident, Nazario allegedly provided confidential information to another individual and even expressed a romantic interest, offering reassurances about the person's case in exchange for money and gifts.

Second-degree charges could lead to a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges could resulte in a 3 to 5-year sentence and a fine of up to $15,000. Nazario remains innocent unless proven otherwise in court.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Laura Croce and Diana Bibb under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Co-Directors Jeff Manis and Eric Gibson, as well as OPIA Director Skinner. As of now, no defense counsel has been listed.