the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Alpine NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of GABRIELLA DURSO (DOB: 05/30/1992; single; employed as a free-lance marketer) of 101 Cedar Street, Apt. 206, Fort Lee, N.J. on charges of Theft by Deception, Unauthorized Use Of Credit Cards, Forgery and Uttering. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, the Alpine Police Department under the direction of Chief Christopher Belcolle, and the Fort Lee Police Department under the direction of Chief Keith Bendul.
In November 2018, an Alpine resident reported to the Alpine Police Department that their family’s long-time nanny, Gabriella DURSO, was suspected of stealing from them through use of the victim’s checkbook and credit card.
Based on this information, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit joined the investigation, which revealed that during the summer of 2018, DURSO forged over 60 checks belonging to the victims and deposited them into her personal bank account. A victim’s credit card was also used by DURSO, without authorization, to purchase personal items on multiple occasions. In total, DURSO was responsible for the theft of approximately $37,000.
On May 16, 2019, DURSO was arrested at her home in Fort Lee, NJ and charged with one count of Theft By Deception with the amount involved being greater than $500 and less than $75,000, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, a 3rd degree crime; one count of Forgery, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1A, a 3rd degree crime; one count of Unauthorized Use Of Credit Card, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-6H, a 3rd degree crime; and one count of Uttering, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4A, a 3rd degree crime. DURSO is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo states that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and thanks the Alpine and Fort Lee Police Departments for their assistance.
