Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said a drug and alcohol treatment counsellor today admitted taking cash from clients in exchange for favorable reports on their progress.
Anthony Trimble, 54, of Howell Township, pleaded guilty to a count of theft by unlawful taking, admitting he took approximately $1,500 in payments from the clients who had been placed on probation.
Under a plea agreement reached with Middlesex County Prosecutor Christine D’Elia, the defendant could be sentenced to serve a probationary term of up to five years, and will be required to repay the stolen funds.
He also has forfeited his counselling license as part of the plea agreement.
He is scheduled to be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas in New Brunswick on September 11, 2017.
Trimble pleaded guilty after he was charged on December 16, 2016.
An investigation by Detective Kevin Schroeck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that Trimble, who was a counsellor at the Journey to Wellness clinic in Perth Amboy, demanded the payments from three clients between September 1, 2016 and December 16, 2016.
Police began the investigation when the lawyer of one of the probation clients contacted authorities after being told about the scheme.