Charity Theft, Invasion Of Privacy Charge: Chatham Police Blotter (2024)

Crime & Safety

A former Chatham resident is accused of stealing $1,050 from two charitable organizations, police said.

Posted Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 4:41 pm ET|Updated Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 4:42 pm ET

A former Chatham resident has been charged in connection with stealing more than $1,000 from two charitable organizations, according to Police Chief Thomas Miller.

Natalie DaCosta, 34, was arrested in Seaside Heights on Jan. 4 and charged with two counts of theft. She is currently being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

According to Miller, the incident was first brought to the police department's attention on Dec. 12, when officers responded to a report of a theft from a local charity.

The report claimed that DaCosta, a former member of the organization, had collected money on behalf of the organization but failed to turn the funds over as required.

The names of the two charities have not been revealed by the police.

Detectives investigated the case and found that DaCosta had collected funds for a second, related organization as well and had not given them back. The total amount collected was $1,050, Miller said.

A man accused of taking inappropriate photographs of a Chatham woman was arrested and charged on Jan. 5, Miller said.

Fares A. Ragb, 22, of Fair Lawn, was charged with invasion of privacy and was taken to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

According to police, officers responded to a suspicious incident at a local business. The complainant stated that on Jan. 4, she became concerned that a male may have attempted to take inappropriate photographs under her clothing using his cellphone.

Detectives responded to the business and obtained surveillance video supporting the woman's claim with the cooperation of the business owner. Ragb was later identified by the detectives and confessed to attempting to take inappropriate photographs of the woman.