August 6, 2025 - David M. Eskew
AEL is proud to have represented Congregation Beth Israel (CBI), a conservative Jewish synagogue located in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In early 2023, CBI learned that one of their long-time employees had been embezzling funds from the congregation’s bank accounts for at least three years and concealing her conduct by, among other things, falsifying bank documents and financial statements. The defendant further concealed her conduct by replenishing CBI’s bank accounts with unauthorized high interest merchant cash advance transactions taken in CBI’s name, causing further damage to the congregation’s financial circumstances. CBI is a non-profit, tightly-knit, member-led community that serves a diverse congregation that draws from several towns in and around Union County, New Jersey. Needless to say, the congregation was devastated to learn of the theft, which totaled approximately $400,000.
CBI’s Board acted swiftly in response to the theft and engaged AEL to conduct a thorough internal investigation, identify the perpetrator, and act as a liaison with federal law enforcement. Over the course of the next year, AEL collected and reviewed evidence of the fraud, including a forensic financial analysis of defendant’s activities, presented to the Board, and coordinated extensive cooperation with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On July 23, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey charged the defendant with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C § 1343. The defendant pled guilty on March 18, 2025, accepting full responsibility for the offense conduct. AEL then represented CBI in connection with defendant’s sentencing, submitting evidence of the losses attributable to defendant’s conduct and coordinating CBI’s Victim Impact Statement. On July 22, 2025, the Court sentenced defendant to 21 months’ imprisonment, 2 years of supervised release, financial restrictions, including a prohibition from working as a bookkeeper or accountant in the future, and ordered that defendant make full restitution to CBI.
The sentencing concluded a difficult period for CBI as the victim of the offense. In a statement, CBI said, “our trust was deeply betrayed by someone who we viewed as a friend and colleague, and while we have been working toward healing over the past two years, we can now complete this process as we look toward the future as a strong and thriving community.”
As for AEL, CBI stated:
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our attorney, David Eskew, who provided pro bono legal services to assist us with our internal review and served as our liaison to the Department of Justice. People like David remind us that for every betrayal, no matter how big or small, there are good people who are willing to give their time and energy to help us persevere through challenging times.
The case was handled by AEL partner David Eskew, of counsel Heather Suchorsky, and associate Raquel Frier.
AEL is a boutique law firm that specializes in white collar criminal defense, government investigations and enforcement matters, and internal investigations. AEL’s partners are all former federal prosecutors with extensive experience investigating and defending federal offenses. AEL has been repeatedly engaged to represent companies, corporate boards, and individuals in high-stakes matters involving federal and state law enforcement agencies, including engagements on behalf of high-profile victims.
The foregoing may constitute attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes.