SECAUCUS, N.J. — A Brooklyn woman was arrested Monday after investigators linked her to a six-figure theft carried out through a fraudulent email targeting a financial transaction in early 2022, officials said.
Zuly Ramirez Vargas, 28, is charged with one count of Theft by Unlawful Taking, a second-degree crime under New Jersey law, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. She was taken into custody at the prosecutor’s office in Secaucus and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending her first court appearance.
According to the investigation, the case stems from a January 2022 incident in which an Ohio man initiated a $220,000 transfer between two brokerage accounts he owned. After submitting the request, the brokerage firm received a follow-up email — later determined to be fraudulent — directing the funds to a different account.
Prosecutors said the money was ultimately deposited into an account controlled by Ramirez Vargas and a business entity, Vargas Hub Central Inc., which listed a Union City address.
Authorities have not disclosed how the fraudulent email was generated or whether additional suspects are involved. The investigation was conducted by the Special Investigations Unit of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ramirez Vargas has not yet entered a plea. Prosecutors emphasized that the charge is merely an accusation.