Bordentown City man charged with theft, forgery

By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
BORDENTOWN CITY—A city man who was the former treasurer of the Bordentown Historical Society has been charged with theft and forgery in connection to approximately $80,000 in missing funds.
    City police said Barry Hausser, 62, was arrested Oct. 22 on charges of stealing nearly $80,000 from the Bordentown City Historical Society.
    After a monthlong investigation by the Burlington County prosecutor’s office and Bordentown City police, Mr. Hausser is accused of embezzling the money over a one-year period as treasurer of the Historical Society, authorities said Friday.
    Mr. Hausser had served on the society’s executive board in the past, and was named in a suit originally filed Sept. 3 with the state Superior Court Civil Division in Mount Holly.
    The investigation said Mr. Hausser provided false documents to the Historical Society board members and forged signatures of Historical Society checks. Authorities said that some of the checks were made out to the hardware store he co-owns, while others went to pay a fictitious bill.
    An audit conducted by the society found that there had been no missing state or federal grant money. Investigations did reveal that money collected and raised at special events and fundraisers had not been deposited into the society’s business account.
    Police said the investigation is ongoing, and that there are no other Historical Society members involved in the suit.
    Mr. Hausser had served an instrumental role in coordinating events last year commemorating the city’s 325th anniversary.
    “There was really nothing we could do, this investigation had to take its normal course,” said City Commissioner James Lynch. “It has just been an unfortunate situation.”
    Mr. Hausser’s lawyer, Robert Sexton, of Bordentown City, could not be reached for comment before the Register-News deadline.