TOMS RIVER – A Beachwood man was sentenced to seven years in state prison after admitting he stole more than $1.3 million from a Toms River car dealership through a phony billing scheme, prosecutors said.
Martin D’Amato, 40, was sentenced October 3 by Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. D’Amato must also repay $1,329,677 to his former employer. He pleaded guilty to theft in April.
Authorities said the thefts took place between April 2019 and September 2021 while D’Amato was employed in digital advertising for the dealership. He was authorized to hire outside marketing companies but instead set up several shell corporations he controlled, investigators found.
Prosecutors said D’Amato used the companies to submit fraudulent charges to the dealership’s corporate credit card for services that were never provided. He then funneled the money through an online payment processor into his own accounts for personal use.
The scheme was uncovered in 2021 when an internal review showed credit card expenses were significantly over budget, prosecutors said. D’Amato was arrested in September 2022 and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
Billhimer credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa Mandara, Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler, and the Economic Crime Squad for their work on the case.
