LYNDHURST –
The former president of the Jefferson School Parent Teacher Association of Lyndhurst has been charged with theft and forgery.
Police arrested Jeneen Gino, 42, on Thursday, Sept. 26, at her home by township police Dets. Vincent Auteri and Michael Lemanowicz.
Gino resigned from the PTA after the 2012-2013 school year, police said.
A statement issued by Lyndhurst Police said: “Discrepancies within the [PTA] organization’s books/accounts were discovered by the present administration which touched off the lengthy police investigation.”
Gino had been previously arrested on April 29 when she was charged with theft of $160 from the Lyndhurst Little League concession stand. She pleaded guilty to that charge and was ordered to make restitution to the Little League and to pay court mandated fines. She was re-arrested on Aug. 19 on a warrant charging her with failing to pay those fines which she later paid, police said.
Police said the PTA investigation leading to the current charges against Gino began soon afterward.
Gino is alleged to have stolen $10,000 from the PTA.
On the forgery counts, Gino is accused of signing another name to checks made out to herself, opening up a secondary bank account without the knowledge of the PTA executive board, and preparing fraudulent bank statements to cover her previous activities.
Gino remains free after posting $1,000 cash bail pending an appearance in Lyndhurst Municipal Court on Oct. 29.
Other incidents logged by Lyndhurst P.D. during the past week include these:
Sept. 27
At 7:09 a.m., police received a report of a theft from a 2013 Nissan parked in the 100 block of Stuyvesant Ave. The owner said someone removed a $200 GPS and a wallet with their driver’s license and credit cards. Police said the doors had been left unlocked.
Sept. 26
At 7:29 a.m., police were called to a location in the 300 block of Watson Ave. on a report of a theft of a purse and a GPS unit taken from a 2002 Hyundai parked in a driveway. Police said a neighbor found the purse in their driveway. Nothing had been removed from it, they said.
Sept. 25
At 9:12 p.m., police charged Mayra Ruggeri, 59, of Lyndhurst, with shoplifting at the ShopRite on New York Ave. Police said store security had detained Ruggeri after finding $73 worth of store merchandise in ShopRite plastic bags that Ruggeri allegedly was trying to carry out without paying for them.
An attempted burglary was reported at an apartment building in the 600 block of Chase Ave. at 5:45 p.m. Police said pry marks were found on apartment doors on the first and second floors of the building, suggesting that someone had tried to gain entry but failed.
Sept. 24
Police said someone removed a generator and a gas-powered hand-held leaf blower from a common area in a multi-family apartment building in the 600 block of Ridge Road. The theft was reported at 4:47 p.m.
Sept. 23
At 7:39 p.m., police arrested Maribel Rodriguez, 46, of North Bergen, at the ShopRite on New York Ave. on a shoplifting charge after police said store security held Rodriguez after she had attempted to leave the store with $39 worth of store items placed in her shoulder bag without paying.
At 8:14 a.m., police responded to the parking lot in the 700 block of Riverside Ave. where they found broken glass next to a 1998 Nissan Maxima whose passenger side window had been smashed. The Secaucus owner of the vehicle told police that a $200 GPS was missing.
Sept. 22
A man drew an officer’s attention when he was spotted on Valley Brook Road near Town Hall, at 7:39 p.m., carrying an open 24-ounce can of beer. Police said he was stopped after placing the can on the ground and trying to walk away. Police said Randy Eleby, 59, of Paterson, was ultimately arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia (a crack pipe).
– Ron Leir
