Former Hackensack, N.J., Police Chief Sentenced for Insurance Fraud

A judge sentenced former Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa to five years in prison on Thursday.

Zisa will remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction for improperly removing his then-girlfriend from the scene of an accident in 2008 and filing a fraudulent insurance claim for $11,000 in damages.

Zisa was sentenced to five years for official misconduct and three years for insurance fraud. The terms will run concurrently.

The Record newspaper reports Zisa told the judge he had nothing to add to what his lawyer already said.

In an unusual move last week, the judge overturned three official misconduct convictions stemming from allegations that Zisa failed to recuse himself from a 2004 investigation of his then-girlfriend’s sons.

The judge said he had substantial concerns about the evidence.