A Hammonton man is accused of stealing more than $1.1 million dollars from his construction company.
Pat Christopher, 67, was indicted on four counts of first-degree money laundering and two counts of second-degree theft in the case, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said.
He also faces charges of fraudulently filing income tax returns and failing to pay state income tax on unreported income for a five-year period, both third-degree crimes.
Christopher, the president and co-owner of Christopher Construction Company LLC, doctored the company account to make his personal credit card charges appear to be business expenses without his co-owners knowing, according to an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.
This allegedly went on for a decade.
A review of Christopher’s tax returns also showed that he did not report this additional compensation on his 1040 tax form for five years.
First-degree charges carry the potential of 10 to 20 years in prison. Second-degree charges are five to 10 years. Third-degree charges are three to five years.
