Ex-employee admits she stole $58,000 from Belmar chamber

Ex-employee admits she stole $58,000 from Belmar chamber
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/24/07
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FREEHOLD — A former office manager for the Belmar Chamber of Commerce has pleaded guilty to theft for stealing $58,000 from the chamber over three years.

Kathy J. Snyder, 34, of Easton, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree theft by deception on Monday, according to a release Wednesday from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Snyder will receive a probationary sentence, conditioned on her paying full restitution to the chamber, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Snyder was the chamber's office manager from January 2003 through February 2006. After receiving several delinquency notices, the chamber contacted the Belmar Police Department in February 2006.

A subsequent police investigation revealed that from January 2004 until February 2006, Snyder, without authorization, used a chamber credit/debit card for her personal expenses, and then applied for and obtained two credit cards in the chamber's name, on which she charged personal items, the Prosecutor's Office said. The personal items included vacations, computers, utility bills and car rentals.

"Snyder engaged in a continuous course of criminal conduct, which resulted in a great financial loss to the Belmar Chamber of Commerce," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said in the release. "She misused her position of trust for personal gain."

State Superior Court Judge Patricia DelBueno Cleary, who accepted the plea, scheduled Snyder's sentencing for July 27. Snyder remains free on her own recognizance.