NEWARK, N.J. — A decade-long financial bloodletting has landed two New Jersey residents in federal court, accused of siphoning over $1 million from a guided-tour company through a web of fake employees, shell businesses, and forged checks. Ruby Baroni, 53, of Lyndhurst, and Rolando Veloso, 41, of Haskell, were arraigned Thursday on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in Newark federal court.
Baroni, who served as the company’s accounting manager, allegedly used her position to cut checks drawn from corporate accounts payable — some made out to real employees who never cashed them, others to entirely fictitious individuals. She then laundered the money through personal withdrawals, court documents allege. The scheme ran from October 2010 to August 2016, exploiting weak oversight and internal controls to bleed the business dry piece by piece.
Veloso, working in tandem with Baroni, allegedly created a network of shell companies that billed the tour operator for services never rendered. Checks made out to these entities were routinely deposited or cashed by Veloso for personal use. He also racked up substantial charges on a company credit card issued to another co-conspirator, directing payments to his phantom firms with no record of actual work performed.
Together, prosecutors say, Baroni, Veloso, and unnamed co-conspirators embezzled more than $1 million through coordinated fraud, using electronic transfers, phone communications, and interstate banking systems — the mechanics that turned a local accounting job into a federal wire fraud case. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation was led by inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and special agents from IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the supervision of Inspector in Charge James V. Buthorn and Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Trombly of the Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.
The defendants appeared via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel. As of this report, no trial date has been set. The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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