FREEHOLD — A former Hazlet fire commissioner was sentenced to a five-year prison term after admitting to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in death benefits rightly belonging to the families of deceased fire department members.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, state Superior Court Judge Francis P. DeStefano handed down the sentence to Anthony Ciavarro last Friday.
Ciavarro, a 45-year-old Hazlet resident, had pleaded guilty to theft by deception and insurance fraud last October, when he last appeared before DeStefano.
While serving as Hazlet commissioner, Ciavarro was responsible for administering the Fire district Benefits Program. But from July-Oct. 2009, Ciavarro stole approximately $30,000 in benefits intended for the families of department
