Maplewood nonprofit worker pleads guilty
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
In a soft voice barely audible in the courtroom, an unassuming woman with no prior criminal record admitted Monday to stealing more than $300,000 from a nonprofit formerly located in Maplewood.
Shaakerah Q. Kelly, a former bookkeeper at Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft as part of a plea deal calling for seven years in prison and for her to make $333,478 in restitution.
She admitted making out checks to a third party that she endorsed and deposited into her personal checking account. About 60 checks of varying amounts were involved during a span from December 2004 to January 2008.
The Bloomfield woman also acknowledged misusing the organization’s American Express card on $3,700 worth of private expenses. As part of the deal, she will have to sign a consent judgment.
Kelly, 35, remains free on bail until sentencing April 30.
Her case came to light in November 2008 during an internal audit by the organization, which since relocated from Valley Street to Livingston.
Kelly, who worked there starting on Dec.12, 2004, stole the money by first reissuing old purchase orders and depositing the checks in her account. Later, she created and then issued checks to a fictitious vendor that Maplewood police had identified as C.H. Martin Clothing Co., of Broken Arrow, Okla.
She was fired in January 2008 for reasons unrelated to the fraud, the organization said after she was arrested on March 31, 2009.
“We see this all the time,” said Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Kim Acocella. “We usually don’t have this amount of money.”
Jeanne Terrence, associate executive director of the organization, said the financial loss that Kelly caused is approximately $383,000. The organization, which will not sue Kelly, helps adults and children.
William Sayers, her lawyer, said outside court that Kelly had come clean to authorities. He said she had given Maplewood police a videotaped confession and wanted to make restitution.
In a soft voice barely audible in the courtroom, an unassuming woman with no prior criminal record admitted Monday to stealing more than $300,000 from a nonprofit formerly located in Maplewood.
Shaakerah Q. Kelly, a former bookkeeper at Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft as part of a plea deal calling for seven years in prison and for her to make $333,478 in restitution.
She admitted making out checks to a third party that she endorsed and deposited into her personal checking account. About 60 checks of varying amounts were involved during a span from December 2004 to January 2008.
The Bloomfield woman also acknowledged misusing the organization’s American Express card on $3,700 worth of private expenses. As part of the deal, she will have to sign a consent judgment.
Kelly, 35, remains free on bail until sentencing April 30.
Her case came to light in November 2008 during an internal audit by the organization, which since relocated from Valley Street to Livingston.
Kelly, who worked there starting on Dec.12, 2004, stole the money by first reissuing old purchase orders and depositing the checks in her account. Later, she created and then issued checks to a fictitious vendor that Maplewood police had identified as C.H. Martin Clothing Co., of Broken Arrow, Okla.
She was fired in January 2008 for reasons unrelated to the fraud, the organization said after she was arrested on March 31, 2009.
“We see this all the time,” said Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Kim Acocella. “We usually don’t have this amount of money.”
Jeanne Terrence, associate executive director of the organization, said the financial loss that Kelly caused is approximately $383,000. The organization, which will not sue Kelly, helps adults and children.
William Sayers, her lawyer, said outside court that Kelly had come clean to authorities. He said she had given Maplewood police a videotaped confession and wanted to make restitution.
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