Steven Dilk, 60, of Clifton, a former warehouse supervisor and operations manager for SST Corporation, pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Randal C. Chiocca in Passaic County. In pleading guilty, Dilk admitted that he stole $512,047 from his former employer. The thefts occurred between January 2006 and April 2013, when Dilk left SST Corporation to work for a competitor. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Dilk be sentenced to seven years in state prison. He will be required to pay full restitution. Judge Chiocca scheduled Dilk for sentencing on April 17.
Deputy Attorney General Jacqueline M. Weyand took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice revealed that Dilk stole the money by fraudulently billing the company for import fees that he claimed to have paid on behalf of the company, when in fact he did not pay such fees during the period in question. Prior to the end of 2005, SST had its products shipped through JFK International Airport in New York, where it sometimes incurred “gate charges” that would be paid by Dilk and would then be reimbursed to him by the company. However, after 2005, SST received its shipments through Philadelphia International Airport, where it hired a shipping broker that handled any issues at the airport, including payment of any fees associated with the importation and receipt of shipments. Although Dilk did not personally incur any expenses for shipments received at Philadelphia International Airport, he submitted numerous false receipts to SST for “gate charges” that he claimed to have paid. As a result, he fraudulently received reimbursement totaling $512,047.
Detective Scott Stevens, Detective Mark Byrnes and Analyst Kim Geis conducted the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
Acting Attorney General Hoffman and Director Honig noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has established a toll-free tip line 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice webpage at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing. All information received through the tip line or webpage will remain confidential.
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