Overcast 24°
Business
South Jersey Accountant, 80, Sentenced For Embezzling $2.5M From Employer, Prosecutor Says South Jersey Accountant, 80, Sentenced For Embezzling $2.5M From Employer, Prosecutor Says
South Jersey Accountant, 80, Sentenced For Embezzling $2.5M From Employer, Prosecutor Says An 80-year-old accountant from Burlington County is going to state prison for allegedly stealing more than $2.5 million from his employer, authorities said. Charles Esposito of Hainesport was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling millions of dollars over a 14-year period, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. The octogenarian was working as an accounting manager in Moorestown, NJ, when the alleged thefts occurred, Coffina said. The alleged thefts were uncovered by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope Inc., which has offices and production plants in o…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Prosecutor: Bean Counter Embezzled $1.1M From Bergen Firm With 'Ghost' Workers, Other Tricks Prosecutor: Bean Counter Embezzled $1.1M From Bergen Firm With 'Ghost' Workers, Other Tricks
Prosecutor: Bean Counter Embezzled $1.1M From Bergen Firm With 'Ghost' Workers, Other Tricks A bookkeeper from Hasbrouck Heights embezzled $1.1 million from a Bogota-based carpentry company by creating “ghost employees,” among other methods, authorities charged. Maribel Rios, 51 – also known as Maribel Roche – “engaged in various schemes” to “manipulate the company payroll system” over a three-year period, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Thursday. The prosecutor said these included: issuing payroll deposits to “ghost employees”; issuing company checks to accounts that she controlled; manipulating accounting software to justify the checks. Then she used the money on h…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: South Jersey Bookkeeper Stole $2.6M From Philly Corporation, Blew Funds On Luxury Trips Feds: South Jersey Bookkeeper Stole $2.6M From Philly Corporation, Blew Funds On Luxury Trips
Feds: South Jersey Bookkeeper Stole $2.6M From Philly Corporation, Blew Funds On Luxury Trips A former bookkeeper for the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) has been arrested on accusations she stole more than $2.6 million from the corporation over the course of seven years and blew the funds on gambling and luxury vacations, federal officials said. Angela DiPietro-Sabatine, 57, of Pennsauken, NJ, was charged by indictment with ten counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting, Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. The DRWC is non-profit, quasi-governmental entity whose m…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: South Jersey HR Boss Stole $614K From SEA BOX Employer, Spent Some On Enlarged Butt Prosecutor: South Jersey HR Boss Stole $614K From SEA BOX Employer, Spent Some On Enlarged Butt
Prosecutor: South Jersey HR Boss Stole $614K From SEA BOX Employer, Spent Some On Enlarged Butt A 41-year-old human resources manager from Burlington County has been arrested for stealing more than $614,000 from her employer, authorities said. She spent the stolen money on a variety of personal items including overseas travel and buying a "buttock augmentation" for herself and a friend at a Las Vegas plastic surgery center, they said. Karen O’Brien of South Church Road in Maple Shade was charged with theft by unlawful taking and computed related activity for the purpose of executing a scheme to defraud, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Cinnaminson T…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
PA, NJ Ex-Con With 'Unparalleled Greed' Accused In 2nd Major Fraud Case, This One $1.25M PA, NJ Ex-Con With 'Unparalleled Greed' Accused In 2nd Major Fraud Case, This One $1.25M
PA, NJ Ex-Con With 'Unparalleled Greed' Accused In 2nd Major Fraud Case, This One $1.25M A 42-year-old Pennsylvania man previously convicted in a $1.4 million fraud scheme has been arrested again on similar charges -- this time in a $1.25 million case. William C. Huyler III, of West Chester, pleaded guilty last December to stealing $1.4 million in from eight Homeowner Associations (HOAs) located across Chester County, Montgomery County, New Jersey, Chester County District Attorney, Deb Ryan said. While awaiting sentences for that case, Huyler was slapped with theft by deception, forgery and more charges for fraudulently securing Small Business Admi…

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta & Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm
Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm A former Bergen County resident now living in Connecticut embezzled $540,000 intended for a local company that she diverted into a PayPal account for herself, her husband and a co-worker, federal authorities charged. A federal judge in Connecticut ordered Melissa Corso, 50, of Groton, held pending transfer to New Jersey to face wire fraud charges after the FBI arrested her on Thursday. Corso and her husband lived in Closter when she worked for a Delaware-based security systems supplier with an office in Ridgefield Park, federal authorities said. For more than six years, beginning in early …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Brick Bookkeeper Stole $260K From Her Jersey Shore Employer Prosecutor: Brick Bookkeeper Stole $260K From Her Jersey Shore Employer
Prosecutor: Brick Bookkeeper Stole $260K From Her Jersey Shore Employer A 37-year-old bookkeeper from Ocean County has been arrested for stealing about $260,000 from her employer, authorities said. Jessica Duffy, 37, of Brick Township, has been charged with t and forgery, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Point Pleasant Borough Police Chief Robert Lokerson. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit and Point Pleasant Borough Police Department found that Duffy, employed as a bookkeeper at R.H. LeChard Marine Contractors in Point Pleasant, misappropriated approximately $260,000 fro…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
New Jersey EMS President Charged With Stealing Nearly $100K From Rescue Squad New Jersey EMS President Charged With Stealing Nearly $100K From Rescue Squad
New Jersey EMS President Charged With Stealing Nearly $100K From Rescue Squad A Bergen County man was charged with stealing nearly $100,000 from the Essex County emergency rescue squad that he presided over, authorities said. Jonathan Arredondo stole more than $75,000 from various Nutley Emergency and Rescue Squad accounts and ran up more than $30,000 in personal finances, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, said Friday. The 30-year-old River Vale resident withdrew cash of approximately $5,000 increments and then deposited the money into his own personal bank accounts 19 times between May 2019 and August 2020, Stephens said. Arredondo serve…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Authorities: Office Manager, 35, Stole $1.1 Million From North Jersey Fire Protection Company Authorities: Office Manager, 35, Stole $1.1 Million From North Jersey Fire Protection Company
Authorities: Office Manager, 35, Stole $1.1 Million From North Jersey Fire Protection Company A former office manager of a North Jersey fire protection company was charged with stealing $1.1 million from the North Jersey business she had been working for over the course of three years, authorities said Monday. A representative of Firetronics, located on Wood Avenue in Secaucus, reported he noticed a theft from his bank account that stems between May 2017 and June 2020, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. An investigation found that Sophia Diakomihalis, 35 -- an eight-year Firetronics employee -- had stolen more than $1.1 million from the company, Miller said. A Dec. 28 s…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Prosecutor: South Jersey Woman Stole $60K From Youth Football, Cheerleading Program Prosecutor: South Jersey Woman Stole $60K From Youth Football, Cheerleading Program
Prosecutor: South Jersey Woman Stole $60K From Youth Football, Cheerleading Program A 45-year-old woman from South Jersey has been arrested for stealing more than $60,000 from a youth spots program and spending the money on family vacations and other personal expenses, authorities said. Stacy Cassidy, 45, of Monmouth Road in Chesterfield was charged with elements of computer theft, misapplication of entrusted property, theft by deception and forgery by uttering, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Mansfield Township Police Chief Ronald G. Mulhall Jr.  Cassidy is accused of stealing the money from a youth football and cheerleading program w…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes
Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes A former Jersey City school board president pulled off a series of embezzlement schemes that netted more than $110,000 with the help of a Jersey Shore attorney, federal authorities said. Sudhan M. Thomas, 45, had previously been the acting executive director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP), which “received substantial amounts of funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Thomas -- known as "Tommy" -- paid personal debts and expenses with $45,000 that …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Ex-Manager Stole $486K From Three Asbury Park Hotels Prosecutor: Ex-Manager Stole $486K From Three Asbury Park Hotels
Prosecutor: Ex-Manager Stole $486K From Three Asbury Park Hotels A hotel worker from Essex County has been arrested for stealing nearly a half-million dollars from his employer in Asbury Park, authorities said. Larry Dembrun, Jr., 40, of Montclair was arrested on Tuesday by Asbury Park police and Monmouth County detectives and charged in the theft of more than $486,000 from his employer -- Salt Hotels -- which owns The Asbury Hotel, Asbury Lanes and the Asbury Ocean Club, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. Dembrun’s most recent job with the hospitality company was regional manager, leaving him responsible for all thr…

SHARE

by Jon Craig