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Kuleep Sethi, 66, was arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on theft, conspiracy and money laundering charges earlier this week -- five months after they busted his wife, Mona, for the same thing.
The Furlong, PA couple scammed victims not only in New Jersey but throughout the world, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
The thieves “created the belief that victims’ computers were compromised and, for a fee, they would ‘repair’ their systems,” Musella said.
“Victims were instructed to provide remote access to their computers, which allowed the perpetrators to commit additional frauds beyond the initial scam,” the prosecutor said.
Mona Sethi established a shell company named Micro Technical Services, LLC, as well as bank accounts in India into which she dropped the ill-gotten gains, Musella said.
Her husband did the same with a company called Micro Global Solutions, the prosecutor said.
He also “established bank accounts that facilitated victims’ funds moving overseas to India, while keeping a portion of the funds for himself,” Musella said.
The probe began with a tip from Waldwick police that several people in town had been scammed.
Mona Sethi was arrested by members of Musella’s Financial Crimes Unit in late January, records show. Detectives continued poring over records and interviewing her and others, leading to Kuldeep Sethi’s arrest on Monday, June 26.
Both Kuldeep and Mona Sethi were quickly freed by judges in Hackensack after being booked into the county jail.
Musella thanked Waldwick police, the Bucks County (PA) District Attorney’s Office, the Buckingham Township (PA) Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
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