According to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, two North Bergen residents, Angelica Morales Fuentes, 30, and Hector Ortiz, 39, have been arrested for the theft of over $300,000 from a Union City-based staffing company. The arrests were made on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, by members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit following an extensive investigation by law enforcement officials.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, authorities were first alerted to the theft when a local business reported a significant amount of missing funds was first reported missing beginning three-and-a-half years ago.
After gathering evidence and conducting surveillance, it was determined that Fuentes accessed the payroll system of the company, created multiple fictitious employee accounts, and diverted wages into a joint bank account she shared with Ortiz. Approximately $349,000 was stolen from the business between August 2019 and November 2022.
Fuentes and Ortiz are charged with theft by deception, a crime of the second degree and conspiracy, a crime of the second degree. Fuentes is additionally charged with computer criminal activity, a crime of the second degree. Both were arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City and released on a summons following their first court appearances.
Prosecutor Suarez credited the Special Investigations Unit with the investigation and arrests. The above charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
