MORRISTOWN, NJ – Melissa Rivera, 61, of Haskell, was sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $293,000 from two Roman Catholic parishes in Washington Township and Pompton Plains.
The sentence, announced by Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, also requires Rivera to pay $292,728 in restitution to the victim parishes at $800 per month.
Rivera pled guilty to two counts of third-degree theft in violation of 2C:20-3A. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit launched an investigation following allegations that Rivera, while employed as a bookkeeper at Our Lady of the Mountain Parish in Washington Township, had written herself numerous unauthorized checks.
Between May 2018 and May 2024, Rivera issued 137 checks totaling $287,487 from Our Lady of the Mountain parish accounts and an additional three checks amounting to $5,242 from Our Lady of Good Counsel parish, both located in Morris County.
The total theft amounted to $292,728.
