|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that a Newark man was indicted yesterday
on charges that he stole $165,600 from Harrah’s
Resort and Casino in Atlantic City by allegedly
making copies of checks that were issued to
him by the casino and fraudulently collecting
payment on the copies as well as the original
checks. Terry
Dilligard II, 35, of Newark, was charged
yesterday in a 10-count state grand jury
indictment with one count of second-degree
theft by deception and nine counts of third-degree
forgery. It is alleged that Dilligard used
a color copier or computer scanner to print
duplicates of nine checks totaling $165,600
that he received from Harrah’s when
he redeemed casino chips. He collected $165,600
on the original checks in March by cashing
them or depositing them into bank accounts
he maintained. It is alleged that he subsequently
stole $165,600 by fraudulently depositing
copies of the nine checks into his bank
accounts in September.
In
a separate case, Dilligard, his former girlfriend,
his father, his mother, his sister and 26
other people were named on March 1 in multiple
indictments charging them with filing false
unemployment insurance claims between August
2006 and November 2010, which resulted in
the theft of more than $2 million in unemployment
benefits from the State of New Jersey. The
claims were filed in the names of numerous
people, including co-conspirators, individuals
whose identities were stolen, and people
who were deceased. The charges stem from
“Operation Labor Day,” an investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice and
the New Jersey Department of Labor &
Workforce Development. In that case, Dilligard
is charged with first-degree money laundering
as well as second-degree counts of theft
by deception, conspiracy and identity theft.
“The
charges in our two indictments against Dilligard
reveal an inveterate con artist who specializes
in big-ticket fraud,” said Attorney
General Chiesa. “We have exposed his
alleged scams, and we will aggressively
prosecute him.”
“Fraud
imposes high costs on government programs
as well as private industry, and we allege
that this defendant struck on both of those
fronts,” said Stephen J. Taylor, Director
of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We
will continue to make combating financial
fraud a top priority for the Division of
Criminal Justice.”
Deputy
Attorney General Anthony P. Torntore presented
the new indictment to the state grand jury
for the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized
Crimes Bureau. The case was investigated
by Detectives Kimberly Allen and Eric Ludwick
of the Division of Criminal Justice.
Second-degree
crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years
in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000,
while third-degree crimes carry a sentence
of three to five years in prison and a fine
of up to $15,000. The indictment is merely
an accusation and the defendant is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
The
new indictment was handed up to Superior
Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County,
who assigned the case to Atlantic County.
Dilligard
is being held in the Mercer County Jail
with bail set at $100,000 in connection
with the earlier indictment in Operation
Labor Day.
### |
