Burlington Nonprofit CFO Charged with Stealing $2.5M, Money Laundering, and Tax Evasion

Defendant’s Husband Also Charged with Receiving Stolen Property

A former chief financial officer and comptroller of a Burlington County-based nonprofit has been charged with stealing more than $2.5 million, money laundering, and tax evasion, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced today.

Colleen Witten, 55, of Buena, New Jersey, allegedly embezzled funds from a nonprofit organization that provides services for adults with disabilities, misappropriating approximately $2.58 million from the company's bank accounts between May 2019 and March 2024.

Her husband, Allan Witten, 55, was also charged with receiving stolen property, after allegedly accepting $189,000 in stolen funds on March 7, 2024.

“New Jersey corporate executives who abuse positions of financial trust must be held accountable,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The conduct alleged in this case is particularly harmful because the defendant allegedly stole from an organization trying to help adults with disabilities and used the ill-gotten gains to enrich herself. Our office will aggressively pursue white-collar fraud and make sure those who perpetrate these crimes are held accountable.”

Financial Fraud and Tax Evasion Charges

Colleen Witten faces multiple charges, including:

• Theft by unlawful taking (2nd degree),
• Forgery (4th degree),
• Financial facilitation of criminal activity (money laundering) (1st degree),
• Failure to pay taxes (4 counts, 3rd degree), and
• Filing fraudulent tax returns (4 counts, 3rd degree).

According to the criminal complaint, Witten diverted over $500,000 between June 2023 and March 2024 to a landscaping company she controlled, in an attempt to conceal the source of the stolen money. Additionally, between July 2020 and April 2024, she allegedly failed to pay a total of $174,480 in income taxes.

Her husband, Allan Witten, is charged with one count of receiving stolen property (3rd degree).

“The alleged theft of funds from a non-profit corporation that is doing important work is especially troubling,” said DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton. “We are always working with our partners to find this kind of criminal activity and bring those responsible to justice.”

Potential Sentencing and Penalties

If convicted, Colleen Witten faces severe penalties, including:

• 1st-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity, which carries a mandatory minimum prison term of one-third to one-half of the sentence imposed, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
• 2nd-degree theft charges, carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.
• 3rd-degree tax-related charges, which each carry up to five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
• 4th-degree forgery, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

“Colleen Witten once served as a trusted financial officer for an organization helping adults with disabilities,” said Legal Chief Pablo Quiñones of the Office of Securities Fraud and Financial Crimes Prosecutions (OSFFCP). “She allegedly abused that trust by stealing millions of dollars from the organization for her own personal benefit and tried to hide stolen money by laundering it through her family business. Our office remains committed to rooting out such significant white-collar crimes in New Jersey.”

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Veronica Daddario, under the supervision of Legal Chief Quiñones, Deputy Legal Chief Brendan Stewart, and Deputy Chief Adam Heck.

The investigation was led by detectives and investigators from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice’s Office of Securities Fraud and Financial Crimes Prosecution (OSFFCP), in collaboration with the New Jersey Division of Taxation-Office of Criminal Investigations.

The charges remain allegations, and both Colleen and Allan Witten are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.