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TRENTON -- The bookkeeper for a state agency that provides services to the developmentally disabled has been accused along with her husband of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a decade.
Suzanne Eyman and Stephen Muller, of Bordentown, were charged on Tuesday with second-degree theft by deception for the scheme, in which Eyman allegedly charged the Division of Developmental Disabilities for phony services under an assumed name, according to the state Attorney General's Office.
Authorities say Eyman was in charge of collecting invoices and other payment information from vendors the division hires to provide care to the developmentally disabled.
In August 2006, Eyman allegedly created an entry in the division's vendor payment system for a person named "Suzanne Muller" using her husband's Social Security number, which she then used for several years to bill the agency for fraudulent services, authorities claim.
All told, the state Treasury issued more than 100 checks totaling $296,216 to that name, according to a statement from the attorney general.
To hide the theft, authorities claim Eyman slightly altered information from legitimate invoices from vendors caring for the disabled, and in 2012 registered "Suzanne Muller" as a respite provider -- someone who provides temporary care to those with special needs in order to relieve their families or primary caregivers.
Elie Honig, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, which filed the charges, called the scheme an "especially egregious case of public corruption."
Stephen Muller, who received many of the payments via direct deposit, is accused of transferring the money to accounts controlled by Eyman, and keeping at least $30,000 in his own accounts.
It's unclear how the alleged theft, which went on for more than nine years, was detected. A spokeswoman for the Division of Developmental Disabilities referred a request for comment to the Attorney General's Office, which would only say the case was referred to law enforcement following an internal investigation.
If indicted by a grand jury, Eyman and Muller face five to 10 years in state prison and fines up to $150,000.
Eyman, who makes an annual salary of $51,000 according to public records, is suspended without pay, authorities said. Messages left at the couple's listed phone numbers were not returned Wednesday, and it was not clear whether they had retained attorneys.
S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.