New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal has announced that the former chief financial officer of a nonprofit organization pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to stealing nearly $115,000 from the organization for his personal use.
Peter Pflug, 56, of Freehold, the former chief financial officer of New Horizons in Autism, pleaded guilty to a second degree charge of theft by unlawful taking before state Superior Court Judge Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor, sitting in Freehold, according to a press release.
Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Pflug be sentenced to three years in state prison. He will be required to pay full restitution. Sentencing for Pflug is scheduled for March 22, according to Grewal.
According to Grewal, Pflug was indicted in an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. New Horizons, a nonprofit based in Monmouth County, provides services to individuals with autism, including through the operation of group homes.
New Horizons receives the vast majority of the funding for its programs through a contract with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities. Pflug, as chief financial officer of New Horizons, was entrusted with use of the organization’s credit cards and checking accounts to make purchases for the nonprofit.
The investigation revealed that between June 2015 and February 2018, Pflug, without authorization, used the nonprofit’s accounts to make approximately $114,917 in personal expenditures, frequently recording the products and services as purchases made for group homes operated by the nonprofit, according to Grewal.
Detectives executed a search warrant in April 2018 at Pflug’s home, where they identified numerous items and home improvements paid for using New Horizons credit cards and financial accounts.
