The Alternative Press

PATERSON, NJ – A former secretary for the Passaic County Superintendent of Elections admitted on Tuesday that she took $384,661 from the office between 2008 and 2010, authorities announced.

Yanira Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct in the second degree and one count of theft in the second degree, according to a press release issued by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. Martinez admitted that while working as a confidential secretary she repeatedly diverted funds intended for the Board of Elections to her personal bank account, authorities said.

Under the terms of the plea agreement Martinez faces a seven years in prison, with five years before she’’s eligible for parole. She also will be barred from seeking public employment in New Jersey and will have to make restitution, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The press release said the charges in the indictment stem from an investigation beginning in April of 2010 involving the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Public Integrity Unit, and the United States Postal Inspector's Office, which revealed that Martinez had been depositing checks issued to the County of Passaic into her personal accounts. She was arrested in June 2010.