the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, a Passaic County, New Jersey, man was arrested today in connection with his role in embezzling approximately $2.9 million from an elderly couple, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, New Jersey is charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In 2018 an elderly New Jersey couple hired Gallo to work as a part-time personal assistant at their residence. Gallo’s duties included managing the victims’ monthly bills and banking and assisting them with email and other computer/technology-related issues. From March 2022 through March 2023, Gallo, used his position to engage in a fraudulent scheme to misappropriate approximately $2.9 million from the victims’ accounts. Gallo accomplished this fraud by routinely using the victims’ ATM card to withdraw large amounts of money, opening a line of credit, cashing checks made payable to himself drawn on the victims’ bank accounts, and using the victims’ credit cards to purchase computer equipment, gaming systems, collectible items from online retailers, and other unauthorized transactions.
The wire fraud charge carries 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.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney; and the Hawthorne Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Knepper, with the investigation leading to the charge. He also thanked the Ridgewood Police Department under the direction of Chief Forest R. Lyons for its assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
https://twitter.com/tRidgewoodblog
#news #follow #media #breakingnews #trending #viral #newsupdate #info #currentaffairs #newspaper
The home health care aides are known to take advantage of lonely old people.
My father almost fell for it until I fired her.
Ridgewood Police ?Library in Bergen County? Is this the same Gallo who was as of yesterday am listed as the IT dept head of the Ridgewood Library? in 2017, the Library started a program to “assist” senior citizens who were unfamiliar with computer technology.
Looks like he helped himself. In the real world he would be marched out of the office and have his access restricted. Let’s see what Ridgewood does.
They were part of the investigation, why should they not participate in the arrest?
Library Director Lorri Steinbacher and Ridgewood Village Manager Keith Kazmark issued a joint statement following publication of this story on Saturday, Jan. 13:
“The Ridgewood Public Library and the Village of Ridgewood have cooperated with all aspects of the US Attorney’s investigation in this matter. We will continue to provide any assistance or information that is requested by investigators. Due to the sensitive nature of this situation and also it being a pending personnel matter, we have no further comment.”
I guess if Ridgewood was not outed by good research by a local Bergen County media outlet, the taxpayers might not ever heard more about this incident. It took a week for the town to erase Gallo’s name from the Library’s website.
Don’t know who the victims are, if they reside in Ridgewood or not but one has to assume the Library’s program ( highlighted in the press in 2017) of assisting senior citizens who were not skilled in understanding the ins and outs of the internet, mobile phones and on line banking might be a contributing factor since Gallo’s personal relationship with the victims began in 2018.
Gallo, which from public records indicate that his family has rented an apt in Ridgewood since 1997. went to RHS, Ramapo College and worked for 20 years at the Library earning 75k in 2022.
Too bad the victims fell for this con from a otherwise neatly dressed and tech savvy guy. I wonder why the Library and town administration were not more forthcoming until they were outed. I understand protecting the identity of the victims but what is so “sensitive” that the town has no comment on this matter.
Linkedin page was scrubbed 1 day ago.
Charles Gallo – Ridgewood Public Librar
But
from public records:
enrollment date : PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM 6/1/2012
employer: RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY
https://content-static.app.com/datauniverse/caspio/bundle/NJ_public_employee_salaries.html
Linkedin page was not scrubbed, neither was his Facebook page. Check again, but don’t check from Safari.