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Thomas Kohutich, 34, was fired from the unidentified company in 2020 after he diverted money from its accounts to his own personal credit cards, federal authorities said.
Once he was caught, the Avenel native and Kean University graduate took a deal from the government rather than risk the potential consequences of a guilty verdict at a trial.
He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark on Wednesday, Jan. 10 to filing false 2018 and 2019 tax returns -- with hopes of leniency when he's sentenced on May 14.
Kohutich -- who once worked as a manager at Woodbridge Bowling Center, where he threw two perfect games -- agreed to pay full restitution to both the IRS and his former employer as a condition of his plea deal, prosecutors said.
IRS Criminal Investigation's Newark Field Office conducted the investigation.
"There is no secret formula that can eliminate an individual’s tax obligations," said Tammy Tomlins, the office's special agent in charge. "Those who create elaborate schemes that have no purpose other than to mislead and defraud the Internal Revenue Service will be prosecuted."
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