By: Richard L. Smith
Burlington County officials have charged a former bank employee with stealing nearly $1 million from a customer’s account, using the funds to support side businesses, real estate transactions, and personal expenses.
Mr. Agha Hasan, 41, faces multiple charges including Theft by Deception, Computer Criminal Activity, and Misapplication of Entrusted Property, alongside various tax-related offenses.
Hasan is accused of embezzling $998,188 over a span of six years.
He was apprehended this morning at his residence in Bordentown Township and is currently held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.
The case is being prepared for a grand jury presentation.
The investigation commenced last year when fraud investigators at Santander Bank alerted law enforcement to suspicious transactions linked to Hasan, who had been recently terminated from his position at the Mount Holly branch.
Employed by the bank since 2014, Hasan allegedly befriended the customer and gained his trust by offering bill-paying assistance.
Investigators uncovered that Hasan visited the customer’s residence, obtained signed blank checks, and received approval for wire transfers.
He also conducted significant cash withdrawals and disbursements from the customer’s account.
These illegally conducted transactions funded Hasan’s personal expenses and business ventures, including gas stations, car washes, convenience markets, and a consulting business, Delval Consultants, LLC. Additionally, the embezzled money was used to broker and finance real estate transactions.
The investigation was led by the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit, with support from the New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation and the City of Burlington Police Department.
Hasan will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew R. McDonnell, supervisor of the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit.