Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that the former office manager of the Riverton Country Club was sentenced to 364 days in Burlington County Jail for stealing nearly $191,000 over a five-year period.
Donna Bucia, 59, of the 200 block of Main Avenue in Cherry Hill, pled guilty in July 2017 to one count of Theft by Deception (Third Degree), and one count of Failure to Pay State Income Taxes (Third Degree).
The Hon. Philip E. Haines also imposed two years of probation as part of Bucia’s sentence, which was handed down September 21 in Superior Court in Mount Holly.
Members of the club’s board of trustees became suspicious after accounting discrepancies were discovered soon after Bucia left the organization in the summer of 2015.
The investigation revealed that Bucia was pocketing cash coming into the club and attempting to conceal the theft by depositing checks to cover the amount she had stolen. The funds were stolen between January 2011 and July 2015, a period during which Bucia oversaw bookkeeping at the private, member-owned club.
Bucia used the money for general living expenses, vacations, and dining out. She has since made full restitution to the club.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew R. McDonnell, supervisor of the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit. Financial Crimes Unit Detective Wayne J. Comegno was the lead investigator.