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Ex-Treasurer From Bergenfield Gets 2 Years For Stealing $900G From Filipino Group

A former accounting specialist from Bergenfield who was charged with embezzling $900,000 from the Metcom Express insurance brokerage in Ridgefield Park over the course of seven years was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, authorities said.

Violeta McGough

Violeta McGough

Photo Credit: Violeta McGough FACEBOOK

Violeta McGough, 57, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, stepped down from her position as treasurer of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. at the end of February 2017 amid the federal probe citing health reasons.

McGough also faces three years of supervised released following her 27-month prison stint, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.

Over seven years, beginning in 2008, McGough "made numerous fraudulent accounting entries to steal funds that her employer...collected as insurance premiums" underwritten by a United Kingdom insurance syndicate, former Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said.

McGough accessed books "to divert a portion of those payments to her personal use," disguising the stolen funds as reimbursed premiums for cancelled policies, he said.

Fitzpatrick said she had help, dropping the money into a bank account belonging to an unidentified individual who purportedly worked for a premium financing company. The money was then routed back to her account, he said.

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