Ex-General Manager Of West Long Branch Motorcycle Dealer Arrested

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — The former general manager of a motorcycle dealership in West Long Branch is now charged with stealing $27,000 from the business, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced Friday.

Chelsea A. Marra-Kaufmann, 36, of Toms River is charged with third-degree theft.

The motorcycle dealership asked West Long Branch Police Department to investigate last year.

A review of the dealership’s business, payroll and sales records revealed that Marra-Kaufmann had erroneously received additional paychecks on three separate occasions in late 2022 without authorization by the dealership’s executive leadership, amounting to nearly $6,000, but never reported it, said the prosecutor.

The investigation further revealed that around this same time, Marra-Kaufmann’s $3,300 check for a personal purchase of a motorcycle was returned for insufficient funds, prompting her to hide the loss under the guise of multiple bank fees, said the prosecutor. Additionally, in a separate 2023 sale, she never paid an approximately $18,000 deposit, then conducted a series of transfers in the accounting system to cover up the loss, said the prosecutor.

The investigation grew to involve the Prosecutor’s Office’s Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit.

In all, the theft added up to slightly more than $27,000. Last week, Marra-Kaufmann was served the charges against her on a summons, with a first appearance tentatively scheduled for June 10 in Monmouth County Superior court.