METUCHEN, NJ—The owners of a bail bond company found themselves on the wrong side of the law on December 12 when they were arrested on charges of money laundering and insurance fraud.
The married couple behind Road Runner Bail Bonds, Larry and Kelley Embry, were arrested on December 12 and “charged with various counts in an attempt to cover up the use of illegitimate monies as a bail source for a defendant,” according to authorities.
According to the allegations, the Embrys were involved in “an attempt to cover up the use of monies derived from criminal activity.”
The incident occurred before the implementation of “bail reform,” a major change to the criminal justice system that has lowered the state’s jail population and hurt the bottom of lines of businesses like Road Runner.
Jamie Monroe, a 39-year-old man from East Brunswick, was charged with third-degree money laundering over the way his $250,000 bail was paid after his September 2016 arrest on drug and weapons charges.
Monroe was charged with possessing heroin with intent to distribute it, possession of a firearm while distributing heroin, and being a certain persons prohibited from possessing weapons due to a prior criminal conviction.
An October 2016 New Brunswick Today article pointed out an error in the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) press release on the original case:
However, the September 30 statement inaccurately claimed that Monroe was still in the slammer. He had actually been released one day prior after posting $250,000 bail.
According to authorities, Monroe’s girlfriend, 25-year-old Jackson resident Kimberly Morgenbesser, “arranged the fraudulent financial backing for the bond.” She faces charges of money laundering, perjury, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Meanwhile, the Piscataway residents who own the bail bond company even more criminal charges.
Larry Embry, age 56, is charged with:
- misconduct by a corporate official (second-degree)
- insurance fraud (second-degree)
- conspiracy to commit insurance fraud (second-degree)
- conspiracy to commit misconduct by a corporate official (second-degree)
- money laundering (third-degree)
- perjury (third-degree)
- conspiracy to commit money laundering (third-degree)
- tampering with physical evidence (fourth-degree)
Kelley Embry, age 54, has been charged with:
- misconduct of a corporate official (second-degree)
- conspiracy to commit misconduct of a corporate official (second-degree)
- insurance fraud (second-degree)
- conspiracy to commit insurance fraud (second-degree)
- tampering with physical evidence (fourth-degree)
- perjury (fourth-degree)
While Kelly Embry was released after her arrest, Larry Embry got to experience bail reform first-hand after the MCPO filed a motion to have him detained without bail until the trial.
But, after ten days behind bars, Larry Embry prevailed in the detention hearing held in Middlesex County Superior Court when a Judge ruled he was not a significant risk of failing to appear for court or committing additional crimes while awaiting trial.
“The defendant was then released from custody back into the community,” reads the MCPO release.
The MCPO credited Detective Michael A. Carullo of the Edison Police Department (EPD) with the investigation into the bail-related crimes. The original bust of Jamie Monroe involved the EPD and the MCPO’s “Gangs, Guns and Drugs Task Force.”
According to the MCPO’s gramatically incorrect December 22 press release, “it was determined that… Larry and Kelly Embry falsify certified the identity of the finances used to secure the release of Jamie Monroe.”
The investigation is active and continuing, according to the MCPO. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Carullo at (732) 248-7400.
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
