Two officials at the New Brunswick Water Utility have been charged as part of a criminal investigation.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Two water utility employees have been charged with bribery and official misconduct following a criminal investigation.
In a statement on Saturday, the city said it had been working with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice in "an ongoing investigation" and that "part of that investigation has led to the suspension without pay of two city employees."
However, beyond that, the statement did not give any details of what led authorities to charge water utility employees William Ortiz, who has been criminally charged with bribery and official misconduct, and Joseph DeBonis, who has been charged with tampering with public records and official misconduct.
The statement referred all follow-up questions on the matter to the city's police department.
However, Capt. J.T. Miller, a spokesman for the city's police department, declined to provide any details related to the matter.
"This investigation is ongoing so I cannot discuss any details which led to the charges," Miller said.
The state attorney general's office could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday.
DeBois earns $43,221 and has been in the pension system for 22 years. According to a report by Tap.com Ortiz earns $46,864 and has been in the state pension system for roughly 18 years.
In December 2015, the former license operator of the New Brunswick and Milltown water utilities pleaded guilty to submitting false water purity test data to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), previous reports said.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.