Former Northern N.J. Mayor Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud Charge

A former northern New Jersey mayor has admitted making false statements to police and an insurance company in a bid to cover up a hit-and-run accident.

Former Roselle Mayor Garrett Smith pleaded guilty Tuesday to insurance fraud, one day before jury selection was due to start in his case. He faces a 90-day jail term when he’s sentenced March 27.

The charge stemmed from reports Smith filed about damage to his mother’s vehicle, which he was driving when the accident occurred in the early morning hours of Christmas Day 2010.

Prosecutors said Smith struck a parked car after leaving a bar in Roselle, then drove home and later moved his car from his garage to the street. He eventually claimed his mother’s car was struck by another vehicle and filed an insurance claim.