Secretary Stole $184K From Clients Of Ocean County Law Firm, Officials Say

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — A former legal secretary at a Point Pleasant law firm is accused of stealing more than $184,000 from a trust account that held clients' funds, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Donna Frustieri, 55, of Thunderbolt, Georgia, was charged with theft in connection with the unlawful taking, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a joint news release with Point Pleasant Police Chief Adam Picca.

Frustieri was served with the charges via summons on March 29, 2023, pending a first appearance in Superior Court in Ocean County, the prosecutor's office said.

Frustieri is accused of issuing 139 checks from the trust account between May 2015 and June 2021, making them payable to herself, her family members and other people she knew, for in excess of $184,000, Billhimer said.

The trust account held funds belonging to numerous clients of the law practice, the prosecutor's office said. Ultimately, the law office reimbursed all of the stolen funds to the trust account so that no clients were harmed, authorities said.

The prosecutor's office did not name the law firm where Frustieri had been employed.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad, Point Pleasant Police Department, and Thunderbolt (Georgia) Police Department collaborated in connection with the investigation.