Lacey man forged girlfriends name to steal money from her bank account

A Lacey man who allegedly took advantage of his sick girlfriend by stealing money from her bank account and sharing it with his friend is being charged with Theft among other offenses.

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When Ross Miserendino's girlfriend in 2019 had some medical issues come up, she was unable to manage her finances for a brief period of time, according to a statement issued Friday by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Lacey Police Chief Michael DiBella.

So, Miserendino, 55, of Lacey, who was in a relationship with her at the time, agreed to help her out by paying her bills for her and he was given access to her checks and bank account information -- solely for that reason.

He then took advantage of having that personal and private information by forging his girlfriend's name without her authorization on 146 checks totaling $171,000 between 2019 and 2020.

Most of the checks were written out to Enrique Roldan, 42, of Jackson, while others were written out to Miserendino himself.

Both men then shared in the proceeds of their fraud and theft scheme.

Miserendino also stole an additional 11,000, approximately, worth of personal property located at the her home in Lacey and then obtained an American Express credit card in the her name, again, without her authorization, and then made about $34,000 worth of charges on that credit card for his benefit.

The OCPO Economic Crimes Squad and Lacey Police ran an investigation and have charged Miserendino and Roldan with Theft.

Miserendino was also charged with one count of Theft, Uttering a Forged Instrument, Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and Making a False Statement in Procuring Issuance of a Credit Card.

Both men have been processed and were released on a summons pending a future court date.