Parish Bookkeeper Sentenced to Probation for Stealing $293K from Two Morris County Churches

Melissa Rivera of Haskell must repay funds stolen over six years from Washington Township and Pompton Plains parishes

A former bookkeeper who admitted to stealing nearly $293,000 from two Roman Catholic parishes in Morris County has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay full restitution, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

Melissa Rivera, 61, of Haskell, pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025, to two counts of third-degree theft before Superior Court Judge Robert Hanna. She was sentenced on September 12, 2025, and must repay a combined $292,728 to Our Lady of the Mountain Parish in Washington Township and Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pompton Plains. Under the terms of her probation, Rivera will make restitution payments at a rate of $800 per month.

The investigation, conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit, began after a referral alleged financial misconduct at Our Lady of the Mountain. Investigators found that between May 2018 and May 2024, Rivera used her position as bookkeeper to create and deposit 137 unauthorized checks totaling $287,487 from the parish’s accounts. An additional three checks totaling $5,242 were identified at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish.

Rivera was charged on March 27, 2025, following a comprehensive audit and investigation that revealed the total loss across both parishes was $292,728.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally acknowledged the efforts of the Financial Crimes Unit in bringing the case to resolution through a guilty plea.