CNA Staff, Jun 4, 2025 / 13:21 pm

A former parish employee in New Jersey has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $300,000 from two parishes several months after she was accused of the thefts.

Former bookkeeper Melissa Rivera admitted to taking $292,728 from parishes in Washington Township and Pompton Plains, the Morris County prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

The two parishes were Our Lady of the Mountain and Our Lady of Good Counsel, both located in Morris County.

Rivera was charged with multiple counts of theft and forgery after being accused earlier this year of writing herself more than 100 checks from parish accounts between May 2018 and May 2024.

The state said it would recommend probation for Rivera, 60, though she would have to serve 364 days in the Morris County Correctio

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