Ex-General Manger Of  West Long Branch Motorcycle Dealership Charged With Theft

Saturday, May 2, 2025, 4:45 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ.- Last week, a 36-year-old Toms River, New Jersey, woman and former general manager of a local Monmouth County motorcycle dealership was taken into custody and criminally charged with embezzling thousands of dollars from the business.

     According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, Chelsea Mara-Kaufmann, 36, of Toms River, was formally charged with Theft by Taking or Exercising Unlawful Control over Property. 

West Long Branch Detectives Uncover Payroll Theft

     The charges stem from an investigation that began last year when Detectives of the West Long Branch Police Department initiated an investigation into an allegation of theft from a West Long Branch motorcycle dealership. A review of the dealership’s business, payroll, and sales records uncovered that Mara-Kaufmann had erroneously received additional paychecks on three separate occasions in late 2022 without authorization by the dealership’s executive leadership, amounting to nearly $6,600 but never reported it.

Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Joins Investigation

     The investigation, which also involved Detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit, further uncovered that around the same time, Mara-Kaufmann’s $3,300 check for a personal motorcycle purchase was returned for insufficient funds, prompting her to hide the loss under the guise of multiple bank fees.

     Additionally, in a separate 2023 sale, she never paid the $18,000 deposit and then made a series of transfers in the accounting system to cover up the loss.

     The theft totaled slightly more than $27,000. Last week, Mara-Kaufmann was served the charges against her on a summons complaint and is scheduled to make her first appearance on June 10, 2025, in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”