Former West Orange Teacher Charged with Fraud

A former West Orange teacher has been charged with first-degree financial facilitation and theft for her role in a scheme to sell fraudulent stock, Essex County Prosecutor Office officials announced Tuesday.

Barbara Queen, 75, of East Hanover was previously charged with the same offense earlier this year when she allegedly convinced a California doctor to invest $100,000 in stock of a company known as AAMPRO.

In that case, prosecutors say, Queen and co-defendant William C. Martucci, 69, of Millburn, committed theft by deception between October 2004 and December 2011. 

In the current case, prosecutors allege, Queen is charged with attempting to get a Miami resident to invest $75,000 in personal funds for fraudulent stock certificates with her. 

These crimes allegedly took place between April 10, 2007 and Nov. 30, 2011, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Grady said. 

In that same time period, Queen is also accused of committing financial facilitation by transferring stolen money in excess of $500,000 and issuing false stock certificates and other documents with the intention of concealing the source of the money, prosecutors allege. 

“Given the magnitude of the operation, we believe other investors may have given money to Queen and Martucci. We are asking them to come forward if they have information relevant to this investigation,” Grady said. “They should contact the Financial Crimes Unit of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-266-7720,’’ he said. 

If convicted of the new charges, Queen faces 30 years in state prison.