FREEHOLD – A man has been charged for stealing $385,000 in tax payments from a former New Jersey wholesale distributor.
Back in December of 2019, The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was contacted by a multi-million-dollar wholesaler distribution company that specializes in holiday decor. The company were former New Jersey residents but are currently based in Charleston, South Carolina.
The victims stated that they hired William A. Berry to file and remit corporate taxes for their business after their former accountant retired and also had previous business dealings with him.
Berry, of South Plainfield, is the owner of William Berry & Associates, an accounting and tax preparation business in Englishtown.
According to police, the victims sent funds to Berry between March 2017 through July 2019 to be remitted to the federal and state tax collection authorities on a quarterly basis. The victims later on received notifications from the State of South Carolina and the Internal Revenue Service that the company had failed to file and remit taxes for those years.
After investigation, it was found that Berry did not remit any tax payments to the proper tax collecting authorities. He instead stole these funds, amounting to $385,000, for his personal use within March 2017 through July 2019.
Berry was arrested by the Englishtown Police Department and charged with second degree Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition. If convicted, Berry faces up to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison.
