Union County CFO Sentenced After Stealing Millions From Low-Income Housing

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — A Scotch Plains man has been sentenced for stealing nearly $2 million from a low-income residential building in Long Branch.

John O' Donnell, 58, was sentenced on Sept. 19 to seven years in state prison for charges of first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity. He had pleaded guilty to stealing the funds while being employed as the Chief Financial Officer overseeing Washington Manor.

In June 2023, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office says they began looking into O'Donnell after the company that owns the housing units for seniors and disabled persons reported an unauthorized $14,000 deduction. The funds were directed to be paid to O'Donnell's life-insurance company to cover a yearly premium.

From February 2009 to May 2023, O'Donnell produced around 400 unauthorized checks totaling $1.9 million from company accounts to his construction firm. Many of these checks were made out with the forged signature of a Washington Manor colleague.

Some of these stolen funds were also used for personal bills, such as mortgage costs.

O'Donnell also used a Washington Manor credit card from December 2020 to May 2023 for other unauthorized personal gain, such as home renovations, pool maintenance, and HVAC repair. These jobs totaled more than $30,000 in funds.

He now faces a minimum time served of half of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Payment of a $1.7 million restitution fine is also required.

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