Cop on Christie’s Detail Caught Shoplifting

A New Jersey state trooper caught shoplifting gun accessories in Pennsylvania attempted to get out of his arrest by saying he would lose his job as a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s security detail if charges were filed.

Trooper William Carvounis, 35, of North Brunswick, N.J., was at a Cabela’s sporting goods store on Jan. 8 when he put several items in his cargo pants pockets — including some handgun grips, a pistol magazine and a hat — and put a $29.99 binocular strap in a box for a product worth $19.99, according to a criminal complaint filed by Tilden Officer Dennis Schwoyer.

While Carvounis paid for some items at checkout, he allegedly did not pay for the concealed items, which were worth $267.38.

“It was, more or less, ‘Look, I’ve got a good job, I’m on the governor’s security detail, I don’t want to lose my job,’ along those lines,” Tilden Township Chief William McEllroy said.

Carvounis didn’t explicitly ask for the break because of his position on the governor’s detail; it was “more or less one cop asking another cop for a break multiple times,” McEllroy said.

The trooper’s attorney, Charles Sciarra, confirmed that Carvounis has been suspended from his job but said his client denies he sought special treatment and the underlying shoplifting charges.

“The initial reports we have don’t indicate anything about such a request,” Sciarra said. “With that said, my client made purchases that day and denies any allegation of any shoplifting. And quite frankly, we see no connection between what’s occurred in the store in Pennsylvania and his duties for the New Jersey State Police.”

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the February 4th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.