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A nearly 27-year veteran of the NJ State Police admitted Thursday to falsifying audits intended to ensure that law enforcement agencies were not abusing access to the state's criminal justice information database.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

TRENTON — A veteran State Police trooper has admitted to falsifying audit reports of law enforcement agencies that have access to the state's criminal justice database, which includes criminal histories and motor vehicle records, state authorities said today.

Acting Sgt. 1st Class Glenn Mannino, 52, of Little Silver, a nearly 27-year member of the force and the former assistant unit head of the Criminal Justice Information System Control Unit, pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records in state Superior Court in Mercer County.

As part of the plea deal with the state, Mannino will give up his job and be permanently barred from public employment. State prosecutors will recommend at sentencing, set for April 10, that he serve a term of probation. An attorney for Mannino, Robert Weir, said the case came to a "fair resolution" but otherwise declined comment.

As part of his job, Mannino was responsible for ensuring the integrity and security of the criminal justice database, which contains sensitive information regulated by state and federal law. The audits were intended to ensure the system was being properly used.

But from October 2009 to June 2011, Mannino admitted he fabricated reports for law enforcement agencies that he was assigned to audit but did not, in fact, audit. He also admitted that he lied about visiting the agencies and made false timekeeping entries.

Mannino — who according to state payroll records earned $124,242 in 2012, not including overtime — was suspended without pay after he was charged in April 2013. The future of his pension will be determined by the state Treasury Department.

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