President of Cranford Dental Company Arrested: Prosecutor

Cranford, NJ -- The president of a dental supply company, formally headquartered in Cranford, is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in inventory from a product manufacturer, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.

Frank C. Clavelli, 42, of Monroe Township (Middlesex County) is charged with second-degree theft by deception, second-degree misconduct by a corporate official, fourth-degree engaging in deceptive business practices, and fourth-degree forgery, according to the prosecutor's office.

He could face 5 to 10 years in state prison. His first appearance in the case has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 11.

The charges marked the result of an 18-month investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit targeting Clavelli and his company, Tristate Dental Supplies & Equipment, formerly headquartered in Cranford and currently headquartered in Monroe Township.

"The investigation revealed that Clavelli had allegedly been personally fabricating fictitious invoices reporting purchases from a product manufacturer, the York, Pennsylvania-based Dentsply Sirona," according to the release. "Submission of the fictitious invoices, which numbered in the hundreds, resulted in Tristate receiving more than $1 million in goods from Dentsply Sirona before the alleged scheme was finally uncovered."