FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Caitlin Mota
PHONE: (201) 577-6699
EMAIL: cmota@hcpo.org
DATE: Friday, October 11, 2024

TWO MEN CHARGED WITH THEFT FROM JERSEY CITY CHURCH

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit has arrested two men following a reported theft from a Jersey City church.

Christopher Poppe, 35, and Glen Poppe, 65, both of Franklin Lakes, are each with charged with Theft by Deception in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, a crime of the second degree and Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Deception in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2a(1) and 2C:20-4, a crime of the second degree. Christopher Poppe is additionally charged with three counts of forgery in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1(3), crimes of the fourth degree. Christopher Poppe and Glen Poppe were arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus on October 8, 2024, and October 10, 2024, respectively, and released pending their first court appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for October 15, 2024.

In 2021, Centurion Companies, a business associated with the defendants, was hired by St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Church in Jersey City to perform construction work. The investigation found the church issued Centurion Companies payments in excess for $350,000 to pay third-party contractors for additional services. Falsified records were submitted to the church indicating the third-party contractors were paid when the money had not been dispersed.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6)