Official accused of E-ZPass abuse improperly received pension credits

The probe of Higgins was part of the fallout of a December 2009 inspector general's report questioning the pension eligibility of Michael Angelini, who until last month was chairman of the Gloucester County Democrats.

The report questioned how Angelini could have built up a pension worth about $100,000 a year when he appeared to be working as an independent contractor rather than a government employee in his numerous public jobs.

The Inspector General's Office referred additional names that arose during that investigation to the Division of Pension and Benefits, which sent out requests for information on 11 professionals to 41 government entities.

Those being reviewed include Mantua Mayor Timothy Chell and Carl Viniar, who practices law with Angelini.

Joyce said he and Higgins sat down with Pennsauken administrators and told them they were ineligible for pensions through their municipal attorney jobs.

In January 2010, Pennsauken approved a contract with the Law Offices of Timothy Higgins that entailed a $10,000 monthly retainer and no salary for Joyce or Higgins to serve as solicitors.

The sewer authority, by contrast, wasn't even aware of its mistake until asked about it Thursday. The authority had been paying Joyce about $18,000 a year since 2004 to act as solicitor, but appointed someone in his place starting in 2009.

While holding those jobs, Joyce was made acting director of public safety of the DRPA in 2008. The agency removed "acting" from the title in December, resulting in a 20 percent raise.

Contact staff writer Maya Rao at 856-779-3220 or mrao@phillynews.com.