A bookkeeper for a New Jersey trucking company recently pleaded guilty to stealing $4 million to feed her gambling habit.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) announced recently that Jeanette Avellan, 62, of Howell, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Natalie S. Watson to an accusation charging her with second-degree theft of movable property, third-degree failure to pay income taxes, and third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return, in exchange for a recommended sentence of four years in state prison.

At her plea hearing, Avellan admitted to working as a bookkeeper for West End Express Co. in South Brunswick, New Jersey, since 2005. Avellan admitted she was entrusted with the finances of the company, and, from January 2017 to January 2023, she stole approximately $4 million from the company and gambled with the money. 

She also admitted that she did not report on her tax returns the money she stole, filed returns knowing that they were incorrect, and did not pay taxes that she owed.

As part of the plea, Avellan agreed to make restitution of $4.03 million to her victims and pay $559,919 to the New Jersey Division of Taxation in back taxes, penalties, and interest for tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 9, 2025, before the State Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn, in Monmouth County.

“This defendant admitted to systematically stealing millions of dollars from her employer while in a position of financial trust,” said Attorney General Platkin. “She will now face significant punishment for her crimes. My office will always find those who would use their positions of trust to take what isn’t rightfully theirs.”