TRENTON, N.J. — The former chief financial officer and comptroller of a Burlington County nonprofit has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $2.5 million from the organization, money laundering, and tax evasion, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Friday.
Colleen Witten, 55, of Buena, is accused of misappropriating funds from the nonprofit, which provides services to adults with disabilities, between May 2019 and March 2024. Her husband, Allan Witten, 55, has also been charged with receiving stolen property.
Authorities allege that Colleen Witten transferred more than $500,000 to a landscaping company she controlled in an effort to conceal the stolen funds. Additionally, she is accused of failing to pay $174,480 in income taxes between July 2020 and April 2024.
“New Jersey corporate executives who abuse positions of financial trust must be held accountable,” Platkin said. “The conduct alleged in this case is particularly harmful because the defendant allegedly stole from an organization trying to help adults with disabilities and used the ill-gotten gains to enrich herself.”
Colleen Witten faces charges including first-degree money laundering, second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree failure to pay taxes, and fourth-degree forgery. Allan Witten is charged with third-degree receiving stolen property for allegedly accepting $189,000 in stolen funds on March 7, 2024.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Veronica Daddario under the Office of Securities Fraud and Financial Crimes Prosecutions.