NJ woman accused of ripping off Union County synagogue for $350K

⚫ NJ woman faces federal charge

⚫ Synagogue in Union County had $350,000 stolen

⚫ Bookkeeper accused of forging checks

A Union County woman has been accused of stealing more than $350,000 from a synagogue where she worked as a bookkeeper, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.

Stacy Margaritondo, of Scotch Plains, has been charged with wire fraud.

The 51-year-old Margaritondo appeared in Newark federal court on Tuesday and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

Margaritondo began working at the synagogue in Union County in 2010.

By July 2020, she was promoted to office manager and bookkeeper — during which her scheme was already underway, Sellinger said.

Margaritondo issued phony checks to herself to steal $350,000 from the synagogue’s accounts, between December 2019 and May 2023, according to federal prosecutors.

She allegedly covered her tracks by using the synagogue’s financial information to take out roughly $300,000 in short-term financing from cash advance companies.

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While the federal case did not name the synagogue, bankruptcy court records showed a suit filed against Margaritondo by Congregation Beth Israel of Scotch Plains last year.

Margaritondo also kept inaccurate accounting records and altered bank statements that she provided to the synagogue's board of directors, authorities said.

If convicted of wire fraud, she would face a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

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