Wildwood mayor who filed false tax returns sentenced to probation and fines

Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron (D) will have to face legal consequences after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud charges.

He won't have to spend a day in jail however.

Byron, 68, was sentenced Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to committing tax fraud in March. Judge Karen Williams ordered Byron to serve three years on probation and repay more than $7,000, along with a $14,000 fine, after he admitted to committing tax fraud in 2017 and 2018.

Byron was initially charged after the IRS determined he failed to disclose $40,000 in income from a second job while he was working as Wildwood's commissioner.

Byron remains in office following Wednesday's sentencing. He told NBC10 earlier this year that he has no plans to leave office amid his legal troubles.

"I'm still here," he told NBC10. "I believe in what I started and I want to finish it."

Byron is facing other charges as well.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that a state grand jury again indicted Byron -- along with former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr., and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski -- following allegations that the three fraudulently participated in the State Health Benefits Program.

Platkin said the move reinstated charges that had been dismissed without prejudice last month.

A state grand jury reinstated charges of official misconduct, theft by unlawful taking, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records against the three officials.

State officials claim the three men falsified time sheets in order to be eligible for the state's healthcare program, though they were not entitled to the benefits.

Platkin's office claimed that taxpayers allegedly paid over $608,900 in premiums and claims on behalf of Byron from July 2011 through October 2021.

Byron's term in office is set to expire this fall. He has said that he's unsure if he will run for re-election.