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TRENTON
- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal
Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced
that a Bergen County man was sentenced to
state prison today for stealing more than
$128,000 from the cosmetology school that
employed him.
According
to Director Taylor, William J. Reilley,
57, of Carlstadt, was sentenced to three
years in state prison by Superior Court
Judge Liliana S. DeAvila-Silebi in Bergen
County. Reilley was also ordered to pay
$128,209.65 in restitution. The sentence
was based on Reilley’s guilty plea
to second-degree theft by deception, a charge
that was contained in a Nov. 13, 2009 state
grand jury indictment. As a result of the
guilty plea, Reilley was ordered to be permanently
barred from public employment in New Jersey.
In
pleading guilty on April 19, Reilley admitted
that between January 2004 and December 2006,
he stole $128,209 from his employer, Onyx
Beauty Academy in Fort Lee. Reilley was
hired by the school’s owner, Yong
Ok Shin, in 2004 to teach, assist with financial
management, and submit applications for
government loans and grants. Reilley –
who also worked on a per diem basis for
the state Division of Consumer Affairs as
a proctor for cosmetology exams –
led the owner to believe that his work for
the state would make it easier for him to
obtain government loans and grants for the
school.
Reilley
admitted that he obtained $128,209 in business
checks and money orders from Shin by telling
her that they were needed to pay creditors
of Onyx Beauty Academy as well as fees for
grant and loan applications. An investigation
determined that, in reality, Reilley used
the checks and money orders to pay personal
expenses, including rent, about $25,000
in rental car fees, and $1,000 for a deposit
on a catering hall for a family event. Reilley
never obtained any loans or grants for Onyx
Beauty Academy.
Deputy
Attorney General Vincent J. Militello represented
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau at the sentencing. The investigation
was conducted by Detective Sgt. Dustin Lesnever
of the State Police Official Corruption
Bureau and Deputy Attorney General Militello.
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