Tag:

Embezzlement

Office Manager Embezzled $350K From North Jersey Synagogue, Feds Say Office Manager Embezzled $350K From North Jersey Synagogue, Feds Say
Office Manager Embezzled $350K From North Jersey Synagogue, Feds Say A 51-year-old Scotch Plains woman is charged with embezzling more than $350,000 from a Union County synagogue she worked at, authorities said.  In 2010, Stacy Margaritondo began working at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains and was later promoted to bookkeeper and office manager in July 2020, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.  Margaritondo’s duties included accounting/bookkeeping, payroll, preparing checks for accounts payable, and reporting to the synagogue’s board of directors regarding the synagogue’s financial condition, Sellinger said. From Dec. 2019 to May 20…
Woman, 36, Embezzles $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says Woman, 36, Embezzles $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says
Woman, 36, Embezzles $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says A 36-year-old Passaic County woman is facing charges in Bergen County after authorities say she stole $400,000 from her employer, officials announced. Briana Rodriguez embezzled the money through unauthorized refunds to accounts under her control through her role as a medical billing professional, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The investigation, led by Chief Mathew Finck, came about in March 2022 when Hackensack police notified the BCPO's financial crimes unit of alleged employee embezzlement. Rodriguez was arrested outside of her home on Tuesday, June 18 by Bloomfield p…
Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work
Contractor Admits Stiffing Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Nearly $500G For No-Show Work UPDATE: An electrical supervisor from Bergen County admitted soaking the Hudson Bergen Light Rail for nearly a half-million dollars worth of no-show work, including while he was vacationing in Florida, federal authorities said. Joseph Ferrara, 56, of North Arlington, "submitted claims for compensation covering hundreds of hours relating to work allegedly performed during regular, overtime and double time hours" that was, in fact, never done, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Ferrara, who worked as an electrical supervisor for a subcontractor hired by the light rail system,…
CFO Once Sued By NJ Firm Accused Of Embezzling $1.5M CFO Once Sued By NJ Firm Accused Of Embezzling $1.5M
CFO Once Sued By NJ Firm Accused Of Embezzling $1.5M A 61-year-old Westfield resident was charged with embezzling more than $1.5 million from the law firm where he worked as chief financial officer, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said. John Dunlea was the CFO at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, a national law firm based in Morristown, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.  Between 2017 and 2022, Dunlea misappropriated funds from the firm by paying himself $1.2 million. He also rung up $355,256 in charges on the company credit card, paying for flights, hotels and restaurants for himself and his family, Platki…
Elderly Bergen Couple's Trusted Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M Of Their Money, Feds Charge Elderly Bergen Couple's Trusted Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M Of Their Money, Feds Charge
Elderly Bergen Couple's Trusted Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M Of Their Money, Feds Charge An elderly Bergen County couple had $2.9 million stolen by a now-former Ridgewood Public Library tech administrator whom they'd hired to be a part-time assistant at their home, federal authorities said following his arrest. Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, was responsible for managing the victims’ monthly bills, handling their banking and helping them with email and other issues involving technology after being hired in 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The couple trusted Gallo with their personal bank accounts, credit card accounts, online retail accounts and email, the U.S. at…
Accountant From Middlesex Who Embezzled $841,000 From Work Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion: Feds Accountant From Middlesex Who Embezzled $841,000 From Work Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion: Feds
Accountant From Middlesex Who Embezzled $841,000 From Work Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion: Feds An accounting assistant from Woodbridge who embezzled $840,956 from his employer pleaded guilty in federal court this past week to income tax evasion. 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 2…
Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (UPDATE) Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (UPDATE)
Feds: Crooked Bookkeeper Admits Embezzling $900G From Restaurants In NJ, NY, PA (Update) A bookkeeper from New Jersey admitted in federal court that he embezzled more than $900,000 from restaurants he worked for in the Garden State, New York and Pennsylvania, authorities said. Richard Winter, 53, of Pompton Lakes authorized bank wire transfers from some of them, pocketed vendor payments to others and issued checks payable to cash that he then deposited into his own bank accounts, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Winter serviced the clients' accounts payable through a company he created called Back Office Pro, a complaint on file in federal court in Newark say…
Feds: NJ Woman, 77, Embezzles $1M In Benefits Intended For Aunt Who Died In 1998 Feds: NJ Woman, 77, Embezzles $1M In Benefits Intended For Aunt Who Died In 1998
Feds: NJ Woman, 77, Embezzles $1M In Benefits Intended For Aunt Who Died In 1998 For the past 25 years, a South Orange woman has fraudulently collected more than $1 million in federal benefits intended for her dead aunt, authorities charged. Janis Miller -- who is now 77 years old -- even went as far as trying to impersonate her aunt in a phone conversation with a Social Security worker, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. However, she couldn’t come up with her aunt’s exact birthdate – just an approximation, he said. The embezzlement scheme came apart after that. Miller was brought before a federal judge in Newark on Thursday, Dec. 21, and was released on a $100,0…
Repeat Embezzler Absconds To Germany With Bergen Realtor’s $600,000 Repeat Embezzler Absconds To Germany With Bergen Realtor’s $600,000
Repeat Embezzler Absconds To Germany With Bergen Realtor’s $600,000 A convicted embezzler who’d apparently made a fresh start fled to Germany with $600,000 of a Bergen County realtor and commercial property manager’s money, authorities said. Detectives in Closter were closing in on Klaus Brueggemeier, 57, of Demarest, when he absconded to Frankfurt and became a wanted man, Closter Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Brueggemeier made headlines in 2009, when authorities charged him with embezzling $1.7 million from a high-end porcelain and glass company in Carlstadt. SEE: Company chief skims $1.7 million to buy himself the good life, autho…
Feds Indict Bergen Advisor For Stealing $3M From Senior Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins Feds Indict Bergen Advisor For Stealing $3M From Senior Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins
Feds Indict Bergen Advisor For Stealing $3M From Senior Clients To Gamble, Buy Home, Gold Coins A disgraced former broker and investment advisor is now under federal indictment for stealing more than $3 million from clients that authorities said he used to gamble and buy gold coins and a new house in Bergen County. Kenneth A. Welsh, 42, of River Edge, "used his position as an investment advisor to gain the trust of his victims," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. "(He) then exploited that trust,” Sellinger said. Welsh was working at Wells Fargo Clearing Services in Fairfield when federal authorities said he began shifting money from clients' accounts to that he controlled in Ju…
Manager At Bergen-Based Entertainment Union Charged With Embezzling $1.7M Manager At Bergen-Based Entertainment Union Charged With Embezzling $1.7M
Manager At Bergen-Based Entertainment Union Charged With Embezzling $1.7M The former office manager of a Bergen County-based union representing behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry was arrested on charges of embezzling $1.7 million from the local. Theresa Gremillot, 58, of Saddle Brook, pocketed an estimated 3,000 debits from the operating accounts of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local #632 between Jan. 1, 2019 and July 1, 2023, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. That’s an average of nearly 13 transactions a week. Gremillot was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 8, and booked into the Bergen County Jail to…
Financial Controller Uses Bogus Bonuses, More To Embezzle $1M From Bergen Biz: Prosecutor Financial Controller Uses Bogus Bonuses, More To Embezzle $1M From Bergen Biz: Prosecutor
Financial Controller Uses Bogus Bonuses, More To Embezzle $1M From Bergen Biz: Prosecutor A 62-year-old financial controller from Oakland embezzled $1 million from a Bergen County-based business, authorities charged. Charles J. Vincent, 62, “used his position as financial controller to divert approximately one million dollars belonging to his employer to his personal control,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Wednesday, Oct. 4. “The theft occurred over an extended period and employed several deliberate methods of diversion,” the prosecutor said. “These included large unauthorized payments to himself disguised as bonuses, as well as payments from company accounts to …
PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says
PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says A high-ranking employee at a Pennsylvania furniture business is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the company, authorities say.  Linda Mansi, 53, of Tuckerton, New Jersey, is charged with multiple felonies from Arnold Office Furniture and Sunline Supply in Bridgeport, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office in a release Friday, July 28.  Jay and Jordan Berkowitz, the owners of the stores, approached police in February about a "significant theft" from the company's coffers, the DA said.  The Berkowitzes claimed Mansi — an employee sin…
Feds: Ex-Owner, CEO 'Pilfered' $3.9M From Bergen Pharma Company To Fund Lavish Lifestyle Feds: Ex-Owner, CEO 'Pilfered' $3.9M From Bergen Pharma Company To Fund Lavish Lifestyle
Feds: Ex-Owner, CEO 'Pilfered' $3.9M From Bergen Pharma Company To Fund Lavish Lifestyle The former founder and CEO of a Bergen County pharmaceutical firm embezzled $3.9 million from the business to help pay credit card charges, property taxes and his kid's private school tuition, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Friday says. John Klein, 76, was arrested by federal agents last December. By that point, he'd been sued in federal court by several people with whom he either worked or collected investment money from at Cambridge Therapeutic Technologies in Teaneck, records show. Klein -- now of Tampa, Florida -- "looted and pilfered" the company to fund a "lavish" …
Philly Area Mom Who Once Faked Daughter's Kidnapping Now Accused Of Embezzlement In NJ Philly Area Mom Who Once Faked Daughter's Kidnapping Now Accused Of Embezzlement In NJ
Philly Area Mom Who Once Faked Daughter's Kidnapping Now Accused Of Embezzlement In NJ A former Pennsylvania mom now living in New Jersey who was once accused of faking her daughter's kidnapping has been charged with embezzling "tens of thousands" of dollars from her employer, authorities said. Bonnie Sweeten, 51, of Delanco, faces two counts of federal wire fraud charges, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced in a release on Monday, Oct. 17.  It's the second time Sweeten, formerly of Feasterville, has been accused of fleecing her employer — in 2012, she was sentenced to 100 months in prison after a federal court convicted her o…
Somerset County Financial Officer Stole $75K+ From Nonprofit: Prosecutor Somerset County Financial Officer Stole $75K+ From Nonprofit: Prosecutor
Somerset County Financial Officer Stole $75K+ From Nonprofit: Prosecutor A 55-year-old woman from Somerset County stole more than $75,000 from a nonprofit organization she was the financial officer of over a two-year period, authorities said. Jolee Roberts, of Bridgewater, cashed numerous checks and used credit cards issued to the non-profit for unauthorized purchases totaling thousands of dollars, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. The discovery was made after Roberts had been fired from the organization, McDonald said. Roberts' LinkedIn profile says she was the financial officer for Middle Earth, whose mission is to "provide youth with…
Bean Counter Who Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Bergen Tour Company Sentenced Bean Counter Who Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Bergen Tour Company Sentenced
Bean Counter Who Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Bergen Tour Company Sentenced An accountant from Lyndhurst was sentenced to a plea-bargained 21 months in federal prison for her role in embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a guided tour company she worked for. Ruby Baroni, 55, took a deal from the government rather than face trial – the same as her former manager, Estela Laluf, 76, of River Edge. Laluf was sentenced in April to an agreed-upon 27 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals sentenced Baroni on Thursday to two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $295,297 in restitution. Between 2010 and 2016, she and Lal…
Local Police Sergeant In Bergen County Charged With Pocketing PBA Funds Local Police Sergeant In Bergen County Charged With Pocketing PBA Funds
Local Police Sergeant In Bergen County Charged With Pocketing PBA Funds A Northvale police sergeant is accused of embezzling more than $75,000 from local PBA accounts. Sgt. Charles J. “CJ” Amorosso, 35, “made cash withdrawals and transferred money out of multiple PBA (Police Benevolent Association) bank accounts without authorization,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Tuesday, April 26. Detectives from Musella’s office charged Amorosso with theft on Monday following an investigation stemming from a Feb. 25 complaint, the prosecutor said. BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE: Northvale Police Sergeant Charged With Theft Of PBA Funds Am…
Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Headed To Federal Prison For Embezzlement Scheme Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Headed To Federal Prison For Embezzlement Scheme
Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Headed To Federal Prison For Embezzlement Scheme UPDATE: A 76-year-old former Bergen County guided-tour company manager is headed to federal prison for 27 months for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer. Estela Laluf Genin -- formerly of Rutherford and River Edge -- must serve the entire sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Laluf Genin began working at the East Rutherford-based company in 1989 and took a management position in 1996, federal authorities said. Between 2010 and 2016, she and an unidentified company accountant conspired to write checks against the firm’s bank accounts to c…
Nationwide Hotel Chain's Corporate Credit Chief From NJ Admits Embezzling $300,000 Nationwide Hotel Chain's Corporate Credit Chief From NJ Admits Embezzling $300,000
Nationwide Hotel Chain's Corporate Credit Chief From NJ Admits Embezzling $300,000 A New Jersey employee who ran the company’s corporate credit card program for a nationwide hotel chain admitted embezzling $300,000, federal authorities said. Marco Alvarez, 46, of Bloomfield, admitted that he “knowingly opened and used corporate credit cards to make $317,582 in unauthorized personal purchases” from April 2014 through January 2020, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Alvarez, who worked as a senior analyst for strategic sourcing, tried to hide the thefts by “transferring credits owed to the hotel to these credit cards to offset the unauthorized charges made,” Sellinger …
Ex-Newark Housing IT Chief Admits Privately Reselling $600G Worth Of Authority Cellphones, Tabs Ex-Newark Housing IT Chief Admits Privately Reselling $600G Worth Of Authority Cellphones, Tabs
Ex-Newark Housing IT Chief Admits Privately Reselling $600G Worth Of Authority Cellphones, Tabs A former IT director at the Newark Housing Authority admitted buying and then reselling cellphones and tablets with $600,000 in embezzled funds over the course of eight years, federal authorities said. Venancio Diaz, 56, of Jersey City, bought 1,509 devices in all that he activated on the NHA's account for days -- or at most weeks -- beginning back in 2013, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. "After the brief period of activation ended, Diaz posed as the owner of the devices and sold them to two different online electronics resale marketplaces," Sellinger said. Then he kept the money. …
Directors Of Fallen Officers Charity Went To Disney, Pocketed $200,000, Jersey AG Charges Directors Of Fallen Officers Charity Went To Disney, Pocketed $200,000, Jersey AG Charges
Directors Of Fallen Officers Charity Went To Disney, Pocketed $200,000, Jersey AG Charges Operators of a Jersey Shore-based charity to benefit the families of law enforcement officers killed or injured in the line of duty helped themselves instead, state authorities charged. The National Police Relief Association and several of its board members went to dinner and to Walt Disney World on the dimes of donors while directly pocketing more than $200,000, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Meanwhile, families of slain officers got a grand total of $14,000, he said. “It’s disgusting that people would raise money for fallen and injured law enforcement officers o…
Employee Charged With Embezzling $122,000 From Bergen Company Employee Charged With Embezzling $122,000 From Bergen Company
Employee Charged With Embezzling $122,000 From Bergen Company An employee in a Ramsey company's accounts receiving department embezzled $122,000 from her employer, police charged. Kimberly Soto, 36, of Prospect Park used her access to company accounts at Ui Solutions to fraudulently divert [the money] from the company to her own personal account" over the course of a year, beginning in February 2020, Ramsey Police Chief Brian Lyman said. Soto was charged with theft and released pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, the chief said.
Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M
Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M Federal agents arrested the former chief executive officer and owner of a Bergen County pharmaceutical firm on Monday and charged him with embezzling millions of dollars from the company, authorities confirmed. John Klein, 75, transferred $3.9 million into an account that he tapped, in part, to pay credit cards charges for him and his wife, as well as for his kid's tuition, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Formerly of Alpine and currently living in Palisades Park, Klein has been sued in federal court by several people with whom he either worked or collected investment money from …
Former Pennsylvania Pastor Used $30K In Parish Funds For Personal Expenses, DA Says Former Pennsylvania Pastor Used $30K In Parish Funds For Personal Expenses, DA Says
Former Pennsylvania Pastor Used $30K In Parish Funds For Personal Expenses, DA Says A former Pennsylvania pastor admitted to stealing over $30,000 in parish funds, which he spent on a beach house on the New Jersey shore, and men with whom he had sexual relationships, authorities said. Monsignor Joseph McLoone, 58, was spared prison time and sentenced to five years of court supervision, the first nine months completed on electronic home confinement, restitution, and other conditions, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office. McLoone, of Bryn Mawr, began his service as pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Downingtown in 2011 after the removal of Msgr.…
Feds: Bean Counter Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From Bergen Tour Company Feds: Bean Counter Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From Bergen Tour Company
Feds: Bean Counter Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From Bergen Tour Company Only a week after her former manager took a guilty plea in federal court, a Lyndhurst accountant admitted Monday that she helped embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the guided tour company they worked for. Ruby Baroni, 54, took a deal from the government rather than face trial – the same as Estela Laluf, 76, of River Edge, did last Monday, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Between 2010 and 2016, the pair conspired to write checks against the East Rutherford-based company’s bank accounts to cash, Honig said. Checks were also issued to actual company employees and co…
Feds: Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars Feds: Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars
Feds: Bergen Tour Company Manager, 76, Admits Embezzling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars A 76-year-old Bergen County guided-tour company manager told a federal judge Monday that she and a company accountant embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from their employer. Estela Laluf of River Edge, began working at the East Rutherford-based company in 1989 and took a management position in 1996, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Between 2010 and 2016, she and the company accountant conspired to write checks against the company’s bank accounts to cash, as well as to various actual company employees and contractors, individuals and shell companies for work they didn't do…
Feds: PA US Golf Worker Resold US Open Tickets Worth $3.4M For Profit Feds: PA US Golf Worker Resold US Open Tickets Worth $3.4M For Profit
Feds: PA US Golf Worker Resold US Open Tickets Worth $3.4M For Profit A Pennsylvania man employed by the United States Golf Association was charged with federal fraud for reselling U.S. Open tickets worth $3.4 million for profit, authorities said. Robert Fryer, 39, of Perkasie, is accused of stealing more than 23,000 U.S. Open admission tickets for the 2013 U.S. Open held at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA, and continuing through the 2019 U.S. Open held at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA, according to Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. He sold those tickets to third-party ticket brokers in return for …
Former Bergen Resident From CT Admits Embezzling $540,000 From Security Firm Former Bergen Resident From CT Admits Embezzling $540,000 From Security Firm
Former Bergen Resident From CT Admits Embezzling $540,000 From Security Firm A former Bergen County resident now living in Connecticut admitted Wednesday that she embezzled $540,000 from a local company. Melissa Corso, 50, 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. Corso, currently of Groton, CT, and co-worker Joseph Spaccavento steered customer payments owed to their former employer to a PayPal account registered to him and linked to her work email, according to an FBI complaint. The customers, in turn, sent more than $3.1 million through 1,150 transa…
Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling $75,000 From Passaic County Tile, Grout Company Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling $75,000 From Passaic County Tile, Grout Company
Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling $75,000 From Passaic County Tile, Grout Company The bookkeeper at a Passaic County tile and grout company embezzled more than $75,000 from her employer, authorities charged. Yvette Tripicchio, 47, of Hawthorne, was charged with two counts of theft in an indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Tripicchio deposited checks from GSD Industries in Pompton Lakes into her personal bank accounts, then “tampered with company records in an attempt to hide the theft,” the prosecutor said.  Valdes didn't disclose the suspected motive. Records show Tripicchio had taken a job as a lunch…
Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up
Feds: Jersey Shore Swindler Embezzled Hundreds Of Thousands From Philly Start-Up A Jersey Shore hustler embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments from a Philadelphia-based tech startup when he was its chief operating officer, federal authorities have charged. Joseph Geromini, 54, of Linwood told investors who contributed roughly $2.25 million that he would use their money to help build the company, which developed blood testing for various diseases, an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Camden alleges. The Atlantic County resident promised to “further develop and commercialize its products and services, for lab expenses, and to pay employee s…