New Jersey Criminal Defense

“South Amboy Medical Owner Steals From Employees” January 10, 2010

The owner of a South Amboy medical transportation company was charged with misappropriating more than $155,000 that should have been earmarked for his employees’ insurance benefits.

Jeffrey Walker, owner of Maximum Care Ambulance Service Inc., was charged with theft by failure to make required disposition of property received and theft by deception for embezzling his employees’ benefits payments over two years, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin.

Valentin said Walker, 51, of Holmdel, withheld more than $155,000 from 113 employees to pay for their dental, medical and supplemental insurances as well as their 401(k) contributions but never made the payments between March 2007 and May 2009.

Walker, who is also treasurer of Hazlet Fire Co. No. 1, is accused of diverting about $37,000 from the fire company’s operating account to himself as well as to his ambulance service, which previously was located in Tinton Falls, Valentin said. The prosecutor said Walker wrote checks from the fire company’s account payable to himself and also made wire transfers from that account directly to the ambulance company.

An investigation began when employees’ insurance claims were denied because Walker had not paid the premiums, Valentin said.

If convicted of the most serious charge of theft by failure to make required disposition, Walker faces up to 10 years in prison.

He was being held in the Monmouth County jail in Freehold in lieu of $100,000 bail.