For Immediate Release:
May 6, 2026

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 70-year-old SONNY Y. LEE of Palisades Park, NJ on charges of attempted money laundering, attempted theft by deception, forgery, and impersonation. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer.

In November 2025, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit regarding an attempted fraudulent transaction involving a U.S. Treasury check in Bergen County. The check, which was intended for a business corporation, was issued in the amount of $12,515,828.30. A lengthy investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that SONNY Y. LEE impersonated a corporate officer by representing himself as the president of a legitimate corporation. Detectives determined that LEE had no affiliation with the company but produced forged business documents for the purpose of establishing a business bank account in the name of that corporation. LEE presented the intercepted treasury check in an attempt to deposit it without authorization into the unauthorized account.

On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Palisades Park Police Department, executed a court-authorized search warrant at the residence of SONNY Y. LEE. As a result of the investigation, LEE was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted money laundering, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1/21-25; second-degree attempted theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1/20-4; third-degree forgery, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1a; and fourth-degree impersonation of a corporate officer, N.J.S.A. 2C:28-8. LEE was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Palisades Park Police Department for its assistance in this investigation. Moreover, Prosecutor Musella thanks the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Newark Field Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their assistance throughout this matter.