Ocean County Man Admits $1 Million Bank Fraud Conspiracy in United States and Canada

TRENTON, NJ—An Ocean County, New Jersey man admitted today his role in defrauding Sovereign Bank and Central Jersey Bank out of more than $1 million, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Anthony Marousis, 47, of Brick, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Marousis admitted that between 2006 and 2009, he and two co-conspirators fraudulently deposited checks into various corporate bank accounts at Sovereign Bank and Central Jersey Bank. These checks were purportedly received from customers of a telemarketing business but, in fact, were drawn upon accounts that were non-existent, closed, contained insufficient funds, or were drawn upon accounts of unwitting individuals who did not authorize the withdrawal. Much of the money was transferred to business accounts in Canada for benefit of the co-conspirators. This scheme to defraud resulted in a loss of approximately $1.3 million.

The conspiracy to commit bank fraud to which Marousis pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2013.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Philip Bartlett; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Davenport of the Criminal Division in Trenton.