Politics & Government

Camden County Sheriff, Undersheriff Among State's "Double-Dippers"

Charles Billingham and William Fontanez collect state pensions in addition to their salaries. The practice is not illegal in New Jersey.

Camden County Sheriff Charles Billingham is among 80 percent of sheriffs in the state who are “double dippers,” meaning they collect state pensions after retiring from their previous positions in law enforcement in addition to their sheriff’s salary, according to New Jersey Watchdog.

Undersheriff William Fontanez is listed on New Jersey Watchdog’s list of 29 “double dipping” undersheriffs.

They are among a total of 46 top cops who make a total of $8.3 million a year between their salaries and pensions.

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Billingham collects a total of $219,141, including a $74,388 pension in addition to his $144,753 salary, according to the report. He is the fourth highest-paid sheriff on the list.

He retired as a lieutenant with the Washington Township Police Department in June of 2006 and returned to service in Camden County the following January.

Find out what's happening in Gloucester Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fontanez collects $165,123, with $51,444 of that coming in pension money and a salary of $113,679, according to the report. He was previously a Camden Sheriff’s Officer, retiring in April of 2003 before taking a job as a Chief Warrant Officer in the Sheriff’s Department.

This is the third year in a row both men appeared in the report.

Collecting both a pension and a salary is not illegal in New Jersey because loopholes in the system allow for officers to retire young and collect a pension and return to public service, according to the report.

Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11) and Sen. Steven Oroho (R-24) are co-sponsoring legislation that would suspend pension payments to retirees who return to public service. The bill was introduced in 2011, but has not yet made it out of committee, according to the report.


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