Friday, February 20, 2009

MORRISTOWN: A 32-year-old former bank employee charged with stealing $10,900 from three bank branches in Morris County is awaiting extradition to New Jersey after she was arrested yesterday in Pennsylvania, said authorities.

Madeline Ramos, also known as Michelle Williams and formerly from Parsippany, was charged Jan. 30 with third-degree theft and issuing 13 bad checks. Between Dec. 24, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2007 she allegedly deposited those bad checks at Valley National Bank branches in Parsippany, Dover and Denville. The checks were drawn against accounts that were in the names of her two children and she withdrew the cash against those checks before they bounced.

Morris County Prosecutor's fraud unit started looking into the matter. Ultimately, Detective Joseph Costello of the fraud unit and Detective Supervisor Carmen Ferrante of the fugitive task force located her across the Delaware. She is being housed in the Monroe County Jail, awaiting extradition.

Despite these pending charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt following a jury trial at which the defendant has all of his rights guaranteed by the U.S. and New Jersey Constitutions and relevant state law.