Ex-administrative assistant convicted of stealing $179,000 from NJ employer

A former administrative assistant for an Ocean County engineering firm has been sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to stealing nearly $179,000 from her former employer, authorities said.

Dona Carlo-Tanzola, 51, of Manahawkin, was convicted by Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill and ordered to pay $139,698.56 in restitution, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday. In total, Carlo-Tanzola embezzled dozens of checks totaling $178,774.35, police said. After being confronted with the theft, Carlo-Tanzola paid back some of the money to the engineering firm.

Carlo-Tanzola took checks made payable to Horn, Tyson & Yoder, deposited them into her personal bank accounts and used the money for herself, a news release said. Officials say she took the money between May and November 2022.