Two women who worked at a northern New Jersey cemetery are accused of pocketing thousands of dollars meant for graves, authorities said Friday.
Bergen County prosecutors charged Denise Dagostino, 50, and Kathy Barbier, 42, both of Garfield, New Jersey, with theft by deception with the missing payments. Dagostino was also charged with falsifying records. Barbier was also charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
The two former cemetery employees took approximately $180,000 from customers who paid for cemetery plots and mausoleum crypts and used the cash for their personal use, prosecutors say.
The prosecutor's office launched an investigation after the pastor of St. Mary's Assumption Church raised concerns about the financial management of St. Mary's Cemetery.
The women are being held at Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail. It was unclear whether the women are represented by attorneys.
