A Buena woman has been charged by the state Attorney General’s office on accusations that she stole more than $2.5 million from the non-profit where she served as chief financial officer.
Colleen Witten, 55, was charged by complaint with money laundering, theft by unlawful taking, forgery, four counts of failure to pay tax and four counts of filing a fraudulent tax return, the Attorney General’s office said in a news release.
One of her family members is also charged with third-degree receiving stolen property over accusations of receiving a portion of the stolen funds.
Witten worked for the Burlington County based non-profit from 2019 to 2024, first serving as the comptroller and later chief financial officer. The organization provides services to adults with disabilities, authorities said, but they did not identify the non-profit. The complaint alleges that she misappropriated about $2.58 million directly from the non-profit’s bank accounts.
“New Jersey corporate executives who abuse positions of financial trust must be held accountable,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. “The conduct alleged in this case is particularly harmful because the defendant allegedly stole from an organization trying to help adults with disabilities and used the ill-gotten gains to enrich herself.”
State investigators also allege that she transferred more than $500,000 to a landscaping company that she controlled and sent another $189,000 to a family member.
The complaint also accuses Witten of failing to pay income taxes from 2020 to 2024, totaling $174,480.
Witten’s defense attorney, Brendan Kavanagh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening.
Stories by Nicolas Fernandes
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.