Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and Deputy Mayor Steven Mikulski, both accused of improperly obtaining taxpayer-funded health insurance, have secured a new opportunity to challenge how New Jersey prosecutors handled their case.
On October 19, 2026, a New Jersey appellate court upheld a lower court’s decision allowing further examination of the officials’ claims that they were selectively prosecuted.
The ruling does not dismiss the criminal charges or establish that prosecutors acted improperly.
More Than $389,000 in Health Benefits Questioned
Troiano and Mikulski were originally charged in 2022 in connection with their participation in New Jersey’s State Health Benefits Program.
Under state law, elected officials covered by rules adopted in 2010 must work at least 35 hours per week to qualify for publicly funded health insurance.
Prosecutors allege that the officials enrolled in the program despite failing to meet the full-time employment requirement.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Wildwood and the state health benefits program paid more than $286,500 in premiums and claims on behalf of Troiano between 2011 and 2019.
More than $103,000 was paid on behalf of Mikulski through October 2021.
Both men deny wrongdoing.
Officials Claim Political Targeting
Troiano, a Republican, and Mikulski, an independent, argue that other local officials across New Jersey received similar health benefits without facing criminal charges.
Their attorneys have also raised allegations of political retaliation, referring to Wildwood’s hosting of a Donald Trump campaign rally in 2020.
State prosecutors reject that argument, maintaining that their investigation began before the rally and that there is no evidence of politically motivated prosecution.
The appellate ruling allows a closer examination of whether similar conduct in other municipalities was investigated or prosecuted differently.
Former Mayor Already Pleaded Guilty
The case originally involved a third Wildwood official, former Mayor Peter Byron, a Democrat.
Byron pleaded guilty in 2024 to charges connected to improperly obtaining state health benefits.
Troiano and Mikulski, meanwhile, returned to office following the November 2023 municipal election despite the pending criminal case.
The latest ruling represents a procedural development, not a determination of guilt or innocence.
The criminal proceedings against Troiano and Mikulski remain pending, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Sources: New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division (October 19, 2026); New Jersey Attorney General’s Office; NJ.com; Hoodline (October 22, 2026).
By NJ RADAR Team