New jersey woman stole $600k from job, used money for butt augmentation surgery, vacations

CINNAMINSON, NJ – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Cinnaminson Township Police Chief Richard A. Calabrese announced that a 41-year-old Maple Shade woman has been charged with stealing more than $600,000 from her Cinnaminson-based employer, SEA BOX, Inc., over a one-year period ending in December 2020.

Karen O’Brien, of the first block of South Church Road, was charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking (Second Degree) and Computed Related Activity for the Purpose of Executing a Scheme to Defraud (Second Degree). She was arrested yesterday following a motor vehicle stop in Gloucester City. In her possession when taken into custody was approximately $30,000 in cash.

O’Brien, who has been terminated by the company, remains in custody pending a hearing in Superior Court. Afterward, the case will be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.

The investigation began after SEA BOX officials informed the Cinnaminson Township Police Department late last year that O’Brien had been caught embezzling funds. The investigation revealed that over a 12-month period, O’Brien, who served as human resources manager, had used the company’s credit card for personal expenses totaling $614,499.

The investigation further revealed that O’Brien made several purchases of designer clothes, handbags, and other accessories from luxury stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, among others. She also used the company credit card to purchase airfare, rental cars and lodging accommodations for her and others to vacation in Puerto Rico, and even used it to pay for herself and a friend to undergo buttock augmentation procedures at a Las Vegas plastic surgery center.

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