Bucks County Detectives have charged a New Jersey woman with embezzling more than $430,000 from her employer in Morrisville.

Yolanda M. Torres, 43, of Hamilton, was arraigned Tuesday morning on 10 felony counts stemming from the theft of hundreds of thousands from Shu Dental Laboratory, Inc., where Torres was hired as a bookkeeper in July 2016.

Investigation revealed that Torres almost immediately upon starting the job began issuing unauthorized business checks to herself, her son and other groups with which she was associated.

These unauthorized transfers totaled $439,637.19.

About half of those transactions occurred earlier this year when Torres made a series of large transfers from Shu Dental’s business line of credit. The first for $50,000 occurred April 10, followed by a $75,000 transfer May 8 and finally a third June 8 for $95,000.

A review of the company’s accounting logs showed Torres issued 188 unauthorized checks, each fraudulently stamped with the signature of the company’s owner. Investigators determined that she falsified documentation to make 177 of those expenditures appear legitimate. The other 11 had no supporting documentation.

She also gave herself three unauthorized raises, increasing her pay by $.50 an hour in September 2016 and again by $.50 in November 2016. The following June, she gave herself a pay increase of $1 per hour. Through these wage increases, Torres collected an additional $6,114.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case, Torres admitted during an interview with detectives from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office that she used money from Shu Dental to pay her rent, utilities and her son’s college tuition, as well as to cover other personal expenses.

She also admitted using the stolen money to make “donations” to the election campaign of Trenton councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, Lady Margaret Animal Foundation and Friends of Ewing Football in an effort to conceal money she had stolen from accounts belonging to those groups.

“Over a period of two years, Yolanda Torres abused her position of trust at Shu Dental Lab to turn a personal profit and conceal a pattern of theft. She used her employer like an open checkbook and ravaged the company’s finances,” said First Assistant District Attorney Gregg D. Shore. “Bucks County has long been a tremendous place to do business, and by holding people like Ms. Torres accountable for their actions, we intend to keep it that way.”

Torres is charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft, receiving stolen property, identity theft and crimes related to the illegal use of computers. District Judge John J. Durkin set her bail at $100,000 unsecured.

The investigation into the thefts began in July after a client contacted Shu Dental Laboratory to report an unauthorized $1,316 charge on his business credit card completed by Torres.

The criminal complaint says Torres resigned from the company July 13 after she was questioned about the transaction by the company owner and his assistant.

Bucks County Detectives and Morrisville Police investigated the case with the help of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

First Assistant District Attorney Gregg D. Shore will handle prosecution.

Criminal charges are allegations subject to proof in court. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Contact: Gregg D. Shore, 215.348.6202, gdshore@buckscounty.org