The Somerset County Prosecutor’s office announced Friday that Robert E. Titus Jr., one of four defendants accused of defrauding $2.1 million from the Bernards Township School system while performing projects through Aramark Corp. between 2003-08, entered pleas of guilty to related charges in State Superior Court.
Titus, 54, of Jackson, pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of first and third degree money laundering, second degree theft by deception and second degree conspiracy to commit those offenses before the Superior Court Judge Julie M. Marino, according to a news release from County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano.
Soriano said the charges stem from an investigation that was conducted by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigation’s Unit that began in December 2008, after the alleged theft was reported. The investigation consisted of numerous interviews, the execution of several search warrants, the obtaining and review of a voluminous amount of documents and countless hours of investigation, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Embezzled funds reportedly returned to school district
The initial charges filed in the alleged long-term embezzlement scheme were announced last February. At that time, Township Schools Superintendent Valerie Goger said all of the money had been returned to the district.
Soriano said the investigation began after Aramark Corporation representatives and Bernards Township school district officials jointly reported an alleged long-term theft perpetrated by Robert E. Titus, an employee of Aramark. Titus allegedly cooperated with three other men in the scheme, officials said previously.
Detailed news link: here
