Bergen Car Salesman Charged With Stealing $1M From Transactions: Prosecutor

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — The owner of a used car dealership accused of stealing more than $1 million in sales money has been charged with theft and money laundering.

Antonio L. Gutierrez, 39, of Ridgefield, was charged Tuesday following an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Leonia Police Department.

Authorities received a complaint from a lender regarding the possible theft of proceeds from the sales of motor vehicles by Gutierrez, the owner of The Luxury Haus in Leonia, said Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.

The lender, a motor vehicle floor plan company, reported that Gutierrez defaulted on more than $5 million in lines, Grewal said. The lender suspected that more than $1 million in proceeds were missing or had been stolen, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor's office Financial Crimes Unit and the Leonia Police Department investigated. They learned that Gutierrez did not report the sales or remit more than $1 million from the sale of several motor vehicles, as he was required to, Grewal said.

Gutierrez tried to hide the money by transferring it to bank other bank accounts the lender was unaware of, the prosecutor said. He used the money for his "own purposes," Grewal said.

Gutierrez was arrested Tuesday in Englewood and charged with theft by failure to make a required disposition, money laundering and defrauding secured creditors, the prosecutor said. He is scheduled to appear in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court Feb. 1.

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Photo: Antonio L. Gutierrez, 39 — Courtesy of Bergen County Prosecutor's Office/Background image via Shutterstock