The president of a local dental supply company is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in inventory from a product manufacturer, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.
Frank C. Clavelli, 42, of Monroe Township (Middlesex County) is charged with second-degree theft by deception, second-degree misconduct by a corporate official, fourth-degree engaging in deceptive business practices, and fourth-degree forgery.
The charges marked the result of an 18-month investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit targeting Clavelli and his company, Tristate Dental Supplies & Equipment, formerly headquartered in Cranford and currently headquartered in Monroe Township.
The investigation revealed that Clavelli had allegedly been personally fabricating fictitious invoices reporting purchases from a product manufacturer, the York, Pennsylvania-based Dentsply Sirona.
Submission of the fictitious invoices, which numbered in the hundreds, resulted in Tristate receiving more than $1 million in goods from Dentsply Sirona before the alleged scheme was finally uncovered.
The charges against Clavelli were served on his attorney Tuesday morning, and the first appearance in the case has been scheduled for 9 a.m. next Wednesday, May 11.