Monmouth County Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Authorities recently arrested three Holmdel residents who are accused of stealing thousands of dollars by fraudulently using a man’s credit cards and bank accounts.
According to a news release from the Holmdel Police Department, a man contacted them on June 11 after experiencing issues with his Bank of America credit card and checking account. Upon investigation, officials discovered that there was approximately $29,000 unaccounted for among both accounts.
Officers from the Holmdel Police Department proceeded to work with members of the Bank of America Fraud unit over the next two months to identify potential suspects. They reviewed security photos from the bank, which showed several incidents involving check deposits and the use of the man’s ATM card.
Ultimately, the investigation led authorities to 25-year-old Steven Molok, 28-year-old Kristi Carbone, and 24-year-old Anthony Carbone, all of whom are Holmdel residents. Shortly thereafter, Molok was arrested. The following day, Kristi Carbone turned herself in to police. Both Molok and Carbone were charged and released pending their first court appearances. Anthony Carbone has been charged but is currently being held in the Monmouth County Jail, in Freehold, on charges connected with another case.
All three of the defendants in this case are now facing charges for theft by deception, conspiracy to commit theft, forgery (N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1), credit card theft (N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6c), and fraudulent use of credit cards (N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6h). These charges are extremely serious and may result in significant terms of incarceration if they are ultimately found guilty.
For example, in New Jersey, theft by deception charges are graded based on the amount allegedly stolen during the commission of the offense. According to N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, the statute which governs these charges, theft by deception constitutes a crime of the third degree if the amount involved is between $500 and $75,000. Third degree crimes are punishable by a New Jersey State Prison sentence ranging from 3 to 5 years. This, of course, represents only one of the charges in this case, and does not account for the additional prison time associated with the remaining charges against the defendants.
For additional information pertaining to this case, access the following article: 3 Holmdel residents face theft charges