LACEY — It’s five years in prison for a township man who admitted to ripping off his then-girlfriend for a total of more than $217,000, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ross Miserendino, 56, was sentenced on Friday in Ocean County Superior Court, after pleading guilty to theft in August.
In 2019, the female victim, also a Lacey resident, began to suffer from medical issues that caused her to be temporarily unable to manage her own finances.
Miserendino — who was dating the woman at the time — offered to help and was given access to her checks and bank account information in order to pay her bills, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
Instead, Miserendino drained the victim’s bank account over the next year or so — signing her name without her authorization on 146 checks totaling $171,000.
The majority of those checks were written out to 43-year-old Enrique Roldan, of Jackson, the prosecutor said, while Miserendino wrote out some to himself.
Theft charges filed in June 2021 against Roldan remained pending as of Monday.
Miserendino also took out an American Express credit card in the victim’s name without her authorization and racked up about $34,000 in debt by using that account.
He also stole about $11,000 worth of personal property from the woman’s home.
In addition to his prison term, Miserendino has been ordered to pay back $217,300 to the victim.
Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com
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