Ex-Employee Indicted for Allegedly Stealing $198K From Parsippany Music Store

A former Florham Park resident and Board of Education president was indicted Tuesday for allegedly stealing nearly $200,000 from a Parsippany music store.

John MacFarlane, 52, of San Tan Valley, Ariz., was indicted on one count of second-degree theft of movable property.

MacFarlane was the Florham Park BOE president for seven years from 2002 to 2009 before citing personal reasons when he stepped down in October 2009.

According to Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, MarFarlane was the financial controller at The Music Shop, which has a Boonton mailing address of 56 Fanny Road, for more than 22 years. MacFarlane acted as the bookkeeper, paid the bills and had the authority to write and sign checks on behalf of the company, according to Knapp.

MacFarlane is accused of stealing approximately $198,000 between Feb. 26, 2007 and March 4, 2011 from the Music Shop's checking account to make payments on his personal credit card, Knapp said.

The investigation revealed MacFarlane made false ledger entries into the company's computer accounting software program to conceal the theft, Knapp said.

"Allegedly, MacFarlane would enter a debit on one of the expense ledgers that ultimately went to pay his personal credit card," Knapp said. "In order to hide the credit card payment he allegedly would then create a false credit into another ledger within the company’s computer database in order to zero out the expense accounts."

Knapp credited the Parsippany Police Department in assisting in the investigation.