Former Wildwood mayor accused of official misconduct, tax evasion in new 7-count indictment

WILDWOOD, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A grand jury has returned a new seven-count indictment against former Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, Byron is accused of abusing his official position to request a job from a city attorney and then failing to pay state taxes on his earnings from that position.

The indictment was filed on April 16, 2024, against 68-year-old Byron, who resigned from office in September 2023.

He is facing charges of official misconduct, tampering with public records, falsifying or tampering with records, failure to pay tax and filing a fraudulent return.

The most serious charge -- official misconduct -- carries a sentence of up to 10 years in state prison.

Before serving as mayor, the indictment alleges that Byron used his position as city commissioner to unlawfully pursue and obtain employment from an attorney who had a contract with the City of Wildwood.

Byron is also accused of failing to properly identify the job with the attorney as a source of income in 2017 and 2018. Authorities say Byron failed to pay the required state income tax on the income earned from those years.

READ MORE: Wildwood, NJ mayor sentenced in federal tax fraud case

"The investigation found Byron's New Jersey income tax return falsely omitted required New Jersey-sourced income earned during those years," the attorney general's office stated.

The former mayor was indicted in a separate matter on state charges for allegedly fraudulently participating in the State Health Benefits Program. The case is still pending.

And in 2023, Byron was sentenced to probation in federal court after admitting to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.