ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) - A former police officer convicted of using counterfeit bar codes to pay significantly lower prices for collectibles he bought at stores while in his police uniform has been sentenced to three years in state prison.
Blake Clay will also be barred from holding public employment in New Jersey. His sentence was handed down Friday.
Clay, 36, of Rahway, served with the Union County Police Department but was suspended without pay after being charged in May 2016. He was later dismissed and was convicted last September on theft and official misconduct charges.
Clay ran the scheme at multiple stores in 2016, according to Union County prosecutors, with the total value of the thefts amounting to more than $600. For example, Clay paid between $1.50 and $4.50 for products that should have cost between $15.99 and $39.99.
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