NJ mom steals $147K from senior home; lies about child’s cancer, prosecutor says

💲 A director at an Ocean County senior living home faces six years in prison

💲 She is accused of stealing $147,000 from the facility

💲 She also lied about her child's cancer treatments to delay the case

WARETOWN — A former director at an Ocean County senior living community faces up to six years in prison after pleading guilty on Friday to stealing thousands of dollars from her employer.

The woman, Alicia Campbell, 37, of Mays Landing, pleaded guilty to theft and obstruction of justice on June 27, in connection with her former position as lifestyle director for the Greenbriar Oceanaire Community and Golf Course senior living community in Waretown..

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An investigation revealed that between January 2019 and January 2022, Campbell stole $147,000 belonging to the association to buy personal items.

She used the Venmo app to send money to third parties from the associations’ accounts, only to have those funds immediately sent back to her personal bank account, the prosecutor’s office said.

The Investigation

On March 28, 2023, Campbell was charged with theft, financial facilitation, forgery, falsifying records, and credit card fraud. She surrendered to the Ocean Township Police Headquarters.

In April 2024, Campbell claimed that her minor child was undergoing treatment for leukemia in Philadelphia. During the summer of 2024, she told the court that the treatments were not successful and that it was necessary for her child to be transferred to a children’s hospital in Texas for emergency care.

She submitted documentation to the court, and the court repeatedly granted adjournments of Campbell’s pending case so she could pursue the necessary care for her child.

Lying about her child's sickness

In August 2024, Campbell once again asked for an adjournment of her case, claiming her child was still receiving care in Texas. She submitted a document on letterhead, supposedly from the Leukemia Program at the Texas Children’s Hospital, detailing her child’s condition and treatments.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office noticed that the address for the hospital was incorrect, and there was no other contact information for the doctor who allegedly wrote the letter.

Detectives found the letter was a forgery, that the hospital never met with Campbell, nor did it provide any care for her child, and Campbell lied to delay her case.

She was arrested at her home in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton and taken to the Ocean County jail.

The state will be seeking six years in prison to the theft charge, and 18 months for the obstruction charge. The sentences are to run concurrently. Also, Campbell will be required to pay $147,000 in restitution to Greenbriar.

She is set to be sentenced on Sept. 5.

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