Englishtown Accountant Arrested For Alleged $385K Theft

ENGLISHTOWN – A South Plainfield man, who operates an accounting firm in Englishtown, was charged with stealing roughly $385,000 in tax payments from clients, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

William A. Berry, 48, of William Berry & Associates, was arrested and charged Tuesday with second degree theft by failure to make required disposition. Berry’s arrest followed a 10-month investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation found Berry stole $385,000 for his personal use between March 2017 and July 2019.

If convicted, Berry faces up to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was contacted in December 2019 by a civil attorney on behalf of the victims, who are owners of a multi-million-dollar wholesaler distribution company based in South Carolina. A subsequent investigation found that Berry received funds from clients’ personal and business banking accounts for the purposes of remitting federal and state quarterly taxes on behalf of the victims. Berry then failed to remit tax payments to the proper tax collecting authorities, the Prosecutor's Office said.

The victims, all former New Jersey residents, reported hiring Berry to file and remit corporate taxes for their business. The victims recalled having previous business dealings with Berry at his Englishtown practice, with Berry advising the victims of the amounts to be remitted to the federal and state tax collection authorities on a quarterly basis.

The victims sent funds between March 2017 through July 2019 at the direction of Berry, from their Bank of America accounts to a Wells Fargo bank account tied to William Berry and Associates. The victims received subsequent notifications from the State of South Carolina and the Internal Revenue Service for failure to file and remit taxes for the years 2017 and 2018.

The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Kristen Anastos.

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