POINT PLEASANT BEACH — A Point Pleasant Beach man has been charged with theft of some $100,000 in funds from the borough’s Fire Company Number 2 during his tenure as the organization’s treasurer.
Salvatore Umek, 45, was charged with theft after allegedly transferring large amounts of money from the volunteer department to his personal bank account over the course of two-and-a-half years. The charge was the result of an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office [OCPO] and Point Beach police.
In a joint statement released Thursday, July 13 by the OCPO, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Point Pleasant Beach Police Chief Robert Kowalewski said that Mr. Umek had used his position as treasurer to pay personal debts using the fire company’s bank account.
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“An investigation by the [OCPO] Economic Crime Squad and Point Pleasant Beach Police Department revealed that between February 2019 and November 2021, Umek – in his capacity as Treasurer for the Fire Company – unlawfully transferred funds from the organization’s bank account to pay off personal credit card debt in the amount of approximately $100,000,” the statement said.
“Umek also transferred a sum of money directly into his personal bank account,” according to the statement, “and utilized the funds for his own benefit.”
According to the statement, Mr. Umek turned himself in to Point Pleasant Beach police on Wednesday, July 12, and was processed and charged before being released pending a Superior Court date.
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