Former dealership manager accused of $27K embezzlement scheme in NJ
A former general manager of a West Long Branch, New Jersey, motorcycle dealership is facing criminal charges after allegedly orchestrating a months-long scheme to siphon more than $27,000 from her employer, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Chelsea A. Marra-Kaufmann, 36, of Toms River, New Jersey, has been charged with third-degree theft following a joint investigation by the West Long Branch Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit.
Authorities say the alleged theft began in late 2022, when Marra-Kaufmann received three unauthorized paychecks totaling nearly $6,000. According to investigators, in an Asbury Park Press report, the payments, which were not approved by dealership leadership, were never reported by Marra-Kaufmann.
But the financial irregularities didn’t stop there.
Prosecutors allege that Marra-Kaufmann attempted to purchase a motorcycle with a personal check for $3,300 — a check that later bounced due to insufficient funds. Rather than report the failed transaction, she allegedly disguised the loss as a series of bank fees.
In a separate incident in 2023, she reportedly failed to pay an $18,000 deposit on a motorcycle sale and then manipulated the dealership’s accounting system to conceal the missing funds.
Officials said the total losses attributed to Marra-Kaufmann’s actions amount to just over $27,000.
She has been issued a summons to appear in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, with her first court date scheduled for June 10. Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelsen, head of the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit, is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Marra-Kaufmann could face up to five years in prison under New Jersey law. The dealership where she worked was not mentioned in the reports.
