BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Palisades Park man pretended to be the president of a corporation in order to deposit a $12.5 million IRS check, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Sonny Y. Lee, 70, was charged with attempted money laundering, attempted theft by deception, forgery, and impersonation, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutors said that last November, investigators from the Internal Revenue Service in Newark contacted the county regarding an attempted fraudulent transaction involving a check.
The check was made out to an existing, legitimate corporation, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors determined that Lee pretended to be the president of the corporation, even though he had no affiliation with the company. He used forged business documents to create a bank account in the name of the company, prosecutors said.
He even created a fake company organization chart listing him in the top spot, according to the complaint in the case.
Then, he intercepted a treasury check meant for the corporation and tried to deposit it into the account.
On Tuesday, prosecutors and members of the Palisades Park Police Department searched Lee's home.
After the search, they arrested him, charging him with second-degree attempted money laundering, second-degree attempted theft by deception, third-degree forgery, and fourth-degree impersonation of a corporate officer.
Prosecutors did not respond when asked how Lee intercepted or obtained the check, but Patch will update this story if more information is received.
Lee was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await his first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court.
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