the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgefield Park NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of DANIEL GATSON, JR. (DOB: 7/20/1997; single; unemployed) of 1 Elizabeth Street, Ridgefield, NJ on fraud-related charges. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Fairfax County, VA Police Department under the direction of Chief Kevin Davis.
On Monday, April 19, 2021, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit received information from the Fairfax County, VA Police Department regarding a Bergen County resident who may be fraudulently receiving New Jersey unemployment benefits. The Fairfax County detectives discovered this information while conducting a shoplifting investigation that occurred in Fairfax, VA. A subsequent investigation revealed that DANIEL GATSON, JR. assumed the identity of another and filed for New Jersey unemployment benefits and defrauded the State of New Jersey. He used the identity of another to fraudulently open accounts in their name and transferred all the funds to accounts that were under his control and used the funds for his personal use.
On Wednesday, September 1, 2021, DANIEL GATSON, JR. was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree insurance fraud, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4.6a; one count of third-degree impersonation, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-17a(1); one count of third-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4; one count of third-degree money laundering, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25b(2)(a); and one count of fourth-degree possession of fraudulent government documents, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-2.1d. GATSON, JR. was transported to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would like to thank the Montvale Police Department and Ridgefield Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
