Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Hanover Township Police Chief Michael Loock announce the arrest of Anna Marie Bustamante, 63, of Visalia, California, who has been charged in connection with a fraud investigation that occurred in Hanover Township, New Jersey.
The complaint warrant alleges on July 27, 2023, the defendant defrauded the victim out of $806,727.92, via a business email compromise, in which the defendant posed as an authorized vendor. The victim sent the funds to the defendant, via a bank account that was made to resemble the bank account of the authorized vendor. On August 3, 2023, the victim learned that they had been defrauded and contacted the Hanover Township Police Department to report the crime. The incident remains under investigation. The identity of the victim will not be released.
As a result of the investigation, Bustamante has been charged with Second Degree Theft, in violation of N.J.S. 2C:20-3a.
Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Reform Act, Bustamante has been detained in the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in California, awaiting extradition to the Morris County Correctional Facility, pending future court proceedings.
Numerous law enforcement agencies have participated in this investigation, including members of the Hanover Township Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office in California, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, this defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.