Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor

Two former workers at a contracting firm in Somerset County were arrested for allegedly forging checks from their employer and making more than $65,000 in unauthorized purchases.

Ciro A. Saenz-Puentes, 44, of New Brunswick (L) and Carlos R. Escobar, 38, of North Plainfield (R)
Photo Credit: *Somerset County Prosecutor's Office*

Valerie Musson

09/25/2023 2:23 p.m.

Carlos R. Escobar, 38, of Jefferson Avenue in North Plainfield, and Ciro A. Saenz-Puentes, 44, of Remson Avenue in New Brunswick, were each charged with theft by deception, forgery, and uttering a false document, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a release on Monday, Sept. 25.

Escobar and Saenz-Puentes became the center of an investigation when the owner of the contracting company they were formerly employed at raised concerns about the impropriety of funds, McDonald said.

A follow-up investigation found that Escobar and Saenz-Puentes “stole blank checks belonging to their employer, forged the checks, and then cashed them for unauthorized purchases estimated at $65,156.02” between September and December of 2022, according to McDonald.

Both were arrested on Friday, Sept. 8, and released pending a court hearing.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the South Bound Brook Police Department at (732) 356-0087.

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