Lissette Delarosa Gets 1 Year for Watch Theft Scheme

Lissette Delarosa, 37, of Woodland Park, New Jersey, is going to prison for a year after admitting she orchestrated a years-long scam to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury watches and parts from her employer. The former customer service employee at a Bergen County watch manufacturer used fake invoices and phony customer complaints to funnel high-end merchandise to addresses she controlled—all at zero cost to her.

Delarosa pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp, who handed down the 12-month sentence in Trenton federal court. From May 2003 through July 2010, Delarosa and co-conspirator Cynthia Alvarez, a/k/a “Cynthia Espejo,” 51, of Kissimmee, Florida, exploited their roles in the company’s billing system to generate hundreds of fraudulent records. The stolen goods were shipped out under the guise of legitimate orders or replacements—none of which were ever paid for.

The scheme was simple but effective: Delarosa and Alvarez created fictitious customer accounts, filed false service claims, and issued invoices that triggered shipments from inventory. No money ever came back to the company. No genuine repair or sale took place. Instead, watches and parts disappeared into private hands while the manufacturer absorbed the losses—totaling over $126,460.81, the exact amount Delarosa has now been ordered to forfeit.

Judge Shipp didn’t stop at prison time. He slapped Delarosa with three years of supervised release, a mandate that she remain under federal watch after completing her sentence. Meanwhile, Alvarez, her partner in crime, avoided prison altogether—pleading guilty to the same charge and getting two years of probation on July 8, 2016. The disparity in punishment underscores the feds’ focus on individual culpability, even in tandem fraud cases.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation, tracing paper trails and shipping records that exposed the breadth of the fraud. Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates, Newark Division, oversaw the probe, which relied heavily on evidence routed through the mail—hence the mail fraud charge. Prosecutors argued the use of postal services to execute the scheme made it a federal offense, not just an internal theft issue.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Svetlana M. Eisenberg handled the prosecution for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Delarosa’s defense was led by Alan D. Bowman, Esq., also of Newark. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, who announced the sentence, emphasized that employees who betray their employers for personal gain will face serious consequences. ‘This wasn’t oversight,’ Fishman said. ‘This was a deliberate, prolonged theft—covered up with paperwork and lies.’