Wayne Man Gets 3+ Years For Embezzling $13.8M From Employer

WAYNE, NJ — A township man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison Thursday for embezzling more than $13 million from a hotel company when he was the chief operating officer.

George Dfouni, 47, previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Katharine Hayden, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday. Hayden imposed the sentence on Dfouni in Newark federal court.

For 16 years, from 1996 to 2015, Dfouni was chief operating officer of a company that owns hotels in New York and New Jersey and negotiated leasing contracts on behalf of the company from 2007 to 2015, Carpenito announced.

Two companies agreed to pay millions of dollars for the leases. These contracts included signing bonuses for Dfouni, Carpenito said. The companies sent their payments directly to Dfouni.

Dfouni was expected to keep his bonuses and pay the rest of the money to his company. Instead, he skimmed part of the payments due to his company to "support his lavish lifestyle and gambling expenses," Carpenito said.

Dfouni also failed to report more than $27.7 million to the IRS, from 2007 to 2014, including the funds he embezzled, Carpenito said.

Hayden also sentenced Dfouni to two years of supervised release.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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