TRENTON — The State Police trooper who led an unauthorized, high-speed escort of exotic sports cars down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City last year was sentenced today to one year of probation and 75 hours of community service, state authorities said.

Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry, 48, of Phillipsburg, admitted in March that he used black electrical tape to alter the license plate numbers of his troop car to conceal his role in the March 30, 2012, caravan that wove its way down several major highways.

As part of a plea bargain, Nassry, who had been a trooper for 26 years, admitted to a charge of fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records and agreed to resign the State Police and accept a permanent ban from any future law enforcement or public employment in the state.

His sentence was imposed today by Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz in Middlesex County.

A second trooper who participated in the caravan, Joseph Ventrella, 29, of Bloomingdale, a seven-year veteran of the force who was Nassry’s subordinate and was charged with the same felony, will also be banned from law enforcement employment in the state in return for being able to enter a pre-trial program for first-time offenders.

He has pleaded not guilty, and if he completes the program, the charge against him will be dismissed.

"The troopers involved in this unauthorized escort forfeited their law enforcement careers because they violated those standards, putting motorists at risk and discrediting the force," state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a statement. "Beyond that, the sergeant who led the escort has today acquired a felony record that he will carry for life."

An attorney for Nassry, Charles Sciarra, commended Deputy Attorney General Michael Monahan, who handled the case for the state, for his "dispassionate review of the facts."

"They found no corruption, but rather a one-off act of stupidity for which Sgt. Nassry has taken responsibility for and has paid a heavy price," Sciarra said. "As he did in court, Nassry apologizes to the public, Trooper Ventrella and his colleagues in the State Police who work hard and do great work for the citizens."

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The State Police Retirement Board, which is overseen by the state Treasury Department, must still consider the future of the two troopers’ pensions. State payroll records as of Dec. 31 show Nassry earned an annual salary of $110,424, and Ventrella made $75,230.

Witnesses to the caravan wrote in complaints that they saw two patrol cars with flashing emergency lights driving in front of and behind the southbound caravan, which included Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered in tape.

Participants in the caravan included Brandon Jacobs, a former running back for the New York Giants who was friendly with Nassry and requested the escort.

The witnesses said the sports cars were traveling more than 100 mph and weaving through dense traffic, and that other drivers struggled to get out of the way. One witness deemed the escort "Death Race 2012." The troopers were suspended a day after the complaints were disclosed in April 2012 by The Star-Ledger.

A second charge filed against Nassry, third-degree tampering with public records or information, was dropped by the state and Nassry did not admit to instructing others in the caravan to alter their plates, as had been alleged by state prosecutors.

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