TRENTON — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) today announced the filing of criminal charges against a suspended information technology employee with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), who allegedly accepted unlawful payments to provide case assistance and confidential information to two individuals who had separate matters being handled by DCF.

Susaida Nazario, 44, of Trenton, New Jersey, was charged by complaint on March 25, 2025, with five counts:

• Acceptance or Receipt of an Unlawful Benefit by a Public Servant for Official Behavior (2nd degree)
• Theft by Deception (3rd degree)
• Official Misconduct (two counts, 2nd degree)
• Pattern of Official Misconduct (2nd degree)

The charges arise from an OPIA Corruption Bureau investigation, which revealed the defendant allegedly accepted money from, shared sensitive information with, and deceived the two individuals who were seeking her assistance — even going so far as pretending to be a non-existent DCF coworker during telephone communications with one victim.

“This case underscores our commitment to ensuring there is accountability when public employees violate their duty and the public’s trust,” said Attorney General Platkin. “As alleged, this defendant used her position and access to DCF records in order to obtain and divulge confidential information for her own financial benefit.”

“As alleged, the defendant took advantage of her access to confidential information for personal profit,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “Anyone who seeks to illegally profit from their State job should know they will be held to account.”

According to the investigation and as charged in the complaint, Nazario was employed as a technical assistant for the DCF IT Division in Trenton from approximately January 2021 through October 2023. Nazario allegedly solicited and received payments from one individual involved in a matter being handled by the department’s Division of Child Protection & Permanency and, in exchange, the defendant offered that individual assistance with the case, including confidential DCF case file information. The defendant allegedly misrepresented herself as a DCF caseworker. The individual made payments to Nazario totaling over $800 beginning in March 2021.

It is alleged that Nazario claimed she would connect the individual with two other individuals, including one DCF co-worker, who could provide additional assistance. However, both of these individuals were in fact fictitious identities that Nazario created. The defendant allegedly used different phone numbers to communicate with the individual through texts and phone calls, falsely pretending to be the two fictitious individuals.

According to the investigation, Nazario provided confidential DCF case information to a second individual involved in a DCF matter and took money and property from that person. In that case, Nazario allegedly expressed a romantic interest in the individual, provided reassurances that she could help bring about a favorable resolution of the person’s DCF case, and shared various pieces of confidential DCF information.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of 5 to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of 3 to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. These charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Deputy Attorneys General Laura Croce and Diana Bibb are prosecuting the case for OPIA under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Co-Directors Jeff Manis and Eric Gibson, and OPIA Director Skinner.

Defense counsel:
None listed at this time

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