A 62-year-old New Jersey bookkeeper pleaded guilty to stealing $4 million from the trucking company that employed her, using the money on gambling, and not paying taxes on the ill-begotten loot.
Monmouth County prosecutors are recommending Jeanette Avellan spend four years in state prison for the crimes she admitted committing between January 2017 and January 2023.
Avellan agreed to pay $4.03 million restitution to her victims, and $559,919 to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, according to prosecutors.
“This defendant admitted to systematically stealing millions of dollars from her employer while in a position of financial trust,” Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement announcing the plea deal Monday. “She will now faces significant punishment for her crimes.”
Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa L. Hilton blamed the defendant’s “gambling habit” for leading her to steal, then hide the theft with fraudulent tax returns.
Avellan reportedly told the court she started working as a bookkeeper for West End Express Co. in South Brunswick in 2005 and began stealing more than a decade later.
She’ll be sentenced May 9.
Monmouth County prosecutors announced a large-scale crackdown on gambling last week following a two-year investigation that led to the arrest of 39 people, including a Prospect Park councilman and alleged members of the Lucchese crime family.
It’s not clear where or how Avellan placed her bets.