A 25-year Millburn Public Works Department employee was arrested Tuesday for purchasing landscaping products through the township and giving them to a private landscaper, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

Anthony P. Boffa, 44, of Springfield was arrested on March 5 for third-degree theft by deception, the prosecutor's office said in a press release.

Boffa allegedly bought 85 bags of fertilizer and 112 bags of limestone, a total value of approximately $1,800, and gave them to a private landscaper to pay a personal debt.

“Any violation of the public trust will be rigorously prosecuted,” Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said in a release on Tuesday. 

Boffa is scheduled to appear in Essex County Superior Court on March 8.