Former Berkeley Man Indicted On Multiple Theft Charges

An Ocean County grand jury recently indicted a former Berkeley Township man on a variety of theft charges after an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Economic Crimes Unit, a spokesman said.

Patrick A. Trushell, 38, now of Toms River, was indicted on Sept. 28 for theft by deception, theft, impersonation/ID theft and credit card theft, said Al Della Fave.

The indictment charges involve Trushell and three energy brokerage companies - Legacy Energy Group, LLC, Keytex Energy, LLC and Connexture Energy, LLC, located in three different states that conduct business in New Jersey.

All three companies hired Trushell as a salesman with the understanding he would work only for them. He received salaries from each of these employers, who were unaware of the others. He also started an energy brokerage company of his own during the time he worked for the three companies. He was allowed to work from home, Della Fave said.

"Patrick Trushell II produced almost no business for these employers and utilized proprietary sales lead and customer information for his own benefit or for competitors of these employers," Della Fave said. "The salary paid by these employers is alleged to have been obtained by deception, as each of the employers would not have hired him had they been aware of the true state of affairs."

Trushell was also indicted for engaging in ID theft and credit card theft involving a business associate located in Delaware. As a result of the relationship, Trushell obtained two American Express credit cards by representing himself as Barrett Kidner.

He used Kidner's personal identification to obtain two American Express credit cards. He charged $23,000 in unauthorized transactions in multiple New Jersey towns and in over half a dozen states, Della Fave said.

Trushell and his wife Jenna, 30, were both were indicted after a joint investigation with the state Division of Taxation for failure to file state income taxes for 2013 and 2015, filing a fraudulent 2014 return and failure to pay their state income tax for three years (2013, 2014, 2015) totaling over $13,000 due to the State of New Jersey.

Anyone with more information regarding these individuals, please contact Sgt. Mark Malinowski at the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. 732 929-2027, ext.4032.

Image:Ocean County Prosecutor's Office