On the Dash:
- Martin D’Amato received a seven-year prison sentence for stealing over $1 million from his former dealership employee.
- D’Amato created fake marketing companies to bill the dealership for services never performed and used corporate funds to pay them.
- He must repay $1.33 million in restitution as part of his sentence.
New Jersey authorities announced that a man received a seven-year sentence in state prison for stealing over $1 million from his former employer at a Toms River car dealership through an elaborate fictitious billing scheme.
Martin D’Amato received his sentence on October 3 after pleading guilty earlier this year to a single count of theft, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. In addition to his prison time, he must pay $1,329,677 in restitution, which prosecutors stated is the total amount the dealership lost as a result of his scheme.
The investigation began in October 2021, when the dealership contacted law enforcement with concerns that D’Amato had stolen company funds. Authorities said D’Amato, who oversaw digital marketing for the dealership, created several shell companies that billed his employer for advertising and marketing services that were never provided.
Prosecutors said D’Amato used the dealership’s corporate credit card to pay the fraudulent invoices and routed the payments through an online processing service to disguise his control over the fake companies.
In September 2022, authorities arrested D’Amato and charged him after a financial crimes investigation. However, they have not disclosed the dealership’s name.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer highlighted that this case shows how employees can commit internal fraud by claiming legitimate business expenses, underscoring the need for strong financial oversight in corporate operations.
D’Amato will serve his seven-year term in state prison and must repay the full amount stolen as part of his sentence.
