Eatontown Company Latest Victim Internet Driven Scam
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office announced last week that they have arrested and charged a twenty-seven (27) year old male from Lawrenceville, Georgia with several theft related offenses. Following a lengthy investigation, it was determined that the defendant was able to swindle an Eatontown run business out of more than $90,000. The defendant allegedly created an email that mirrored the monthly lease invoice that the Eatontown based company was receiving. Accept in this email, the lease payments were directed to a new bank account, one that was directly linked to the defendant. Unfortunately for the company, they failed to realize the scam and sent two lease payments, totaling more than $90,000 for April and May of 2019.
Theft by Deception Charges in Eatontown New Jersey
Detectives from the Eatontown Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office were able follow the money trail and link it directly to the defendant. He was formally arrested and more likely than not, he has been charged with theft by deception, theft of moveable property as well as forgery and fraud. Almost all theft related offenses in New Jersey are graded for degree purposes by the value of loss or attempted loss. Therefore, since the value of the loss in this case was $90,000, the defendant will be facing second degree felonies. A second degree felony in New Jersey is punishable by up to ten years in a New Jersey State Prison and a fine up to $150,000. For more information on theft offenses in Monmouth County, including some of the ancillary penalties, please click the link.
Theft Defense Attorney in Monmouth County
As you can see from reading above, theft related offenses are not something to take lightly. Authorities have been warning the public about what they have coined as the “email compromise scams”. Apparently these types of scams have been occurring more and more often over the years. Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni issued a statement following the defendant’s arrest: “It’s important for corporations and agencies, whether in the private or public sector, to be vigilant with sending money to unknown sources or new banking institutions. You cannot take anything for granted,”… “‘Business email compromise’ scams are increasing and they are frighteningly good scams with terrifyingly bad results.” As one would imagine, the devastation that these types of scams can create combined with the investigative effort it takes to uncover these crimes is just a couple of the many reasons why these offenses tend to be aggressively prosecuted. If you or a loved one has been charged with a theft offense in Monmouth County, in towns like Little Silver, Eatontown, Freehold, Howell, Tinton Falls, Asbury Park, Middletown, Ocean Township, Wall Township or elsewhere, the Keith Oliver Criminal Law can help. If you would like to schedule a free initial consultation today, please contact our office at 732.858.6959.
