New Jersey towns accused of misusing opioid settlement funds

At least 25 New Jersey municipalities are under scrutiny for allegedly diverting millions of dollars from opioid settlement funds toward luxury items and non-essential projects rather than addiction treatment and prevention. The $1.1 billion settlement, resulting from a 2021 national agreement with pharmaceutical companies including Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson, is scheduled to be paid out through 2040.

Investigations indicate that funds intended to combat a crisis that has claimed an estimated 30,000 lives in the state have been used for various municipal wish-list items. Reported expenditures include a $73,000 custom vinyl-wrapped electric Mustang Mach-E for the Atlantic City Police Department, $600,000 for two opioid awareness concerts in Irvington, and nearly $150,000 awarded to a Camden nonprofit to locate broken streetlights. In Atlantic City, spending reportedly included monogrammed jackets and approximately $140,000 on clothing, backpacks, and consulting services.