Former Councilman Charged In Theft From Red Bank Nonprofit

FREEHOLD, N.J. — A former Red Bank councilman who had been the treasurer of the Red Bank Education Foundation has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the organization over the course of two years, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Monday.

Hazim Yassin, 32, of the Lincroft section of Middletown has been charged with third-degree theft by unlawful taking, according to a statement released Monday by the prosecutor's office.

Yassin, who served one term on the Red Bank Council, according to his lawyer Robert A. Honecker, "vigorously denies the charges."

He added that Yassin "has spent a great deal of time supporting various causes in Red Bank."

"My client has spent thousands of hours volunteering for the Red Bank Education Foundation," Honecker said, adding that he also has donated thousands to the foundation.

"He (Yassin) never intentionally diverted any funds from the foundation," Honecker said when reached for comment.

An investigation by the prosecutor's Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau was initiated earlier this year, after the Red Bank Education Foundation performed a financial audit and identified a series of unauthorized withdrawals from its bank account that could not be reconciled – including four made in 2020, when the foundation was inactive due to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The investigation showed that at the time of the withdrawals, Yassin had served as treasurer of the nonprofit, which funds educational opportunities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics for local low-income and/or disadvantaged students. A review of financial records revealed that Yassin was responsible for the withdrawals, which totaled $7,650, and reference to some of them was missing from the nonprofit’s treasury reports.

Yassin was served the charge against him on a summons, pending a first appearance to take place at a future date in Monmouth County Superior Court, here.

This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelsen, director of the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.

If convicted, Yassin would face a prison term of up to five years, officials said.