A recently rehired Newark police officer surrendered to State Police detectives yesterday and was charged with theft and records tampering that allegedly netted him more than $10,000, state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a statement.



Suliman Kamara, 30, of Newark, allegedly filed a report with Newark police in February 2009 stating that his 2003 GMC Yukon had been stolen. His insurer, Liberty Mutual, eventually paid him $9,744 for the vehicle and more than $1,000 for additional expenses.



A State Police probe into that claim began three years later, in March of this year, when a Liberty Mutual representative reportedly saw the vehicle parked outside Kamara's house and alerted authorities. The State Police found the Yukon, which allegedly had license plates from another vehicle, then executed a search warrant to confirm that it was same vehicle Kamara had reported stolen, Chiesa's office said.



Anthony Iacullo, a Nutley attorney representing Kamara, flatly denied the charges yesterday.



"Officer Kamara maintains his innocence with respect to these allegations. He is confident that at the time of trial he will be exonerated. Officer Kamara did nothing wrong," Iaculllo said.



Kamara joined the NPD in 2008 and was among dozens of officers laid off for budgetary reasons in November 2010, but was also one of a much smaller group of officers rehired this past March. He was suspended from the force yesterday after the complaint was filed. He was released after being processed on the charges yesterday, Chiesa's office said.



Iacullo did not know whether Kamara had been suspended with or without pay. A police department spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment yesterday.



If convicted, Kamara faces up to five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.