FRANKLIN BOROUGH, N.J. (Sussex County) — A Franklin Borough woman has been charged following an investigation into the alleged theft and forgery of more than $11,000 from an elderly man’s bank account, authorities said.
Katerine Basek, 31, was arrested March 19 following an investigation conducted by the Franklin Borough Police Department with assistance from the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities said the investigation began Dec. 15, 2025, after a woman from Arkansas contacted police regarding suspicious withdrawals from her elderly father’s checking account.
According to police, the complainant told investigators she had taken her father into her care after he relocated to Arkansas in August 2015 and later discovered unauthorized withdrawals totaling more than $11,000 over a two-month period.
Investigators determined Basek allegedly removed checks from the victim’s Franklin Borough home after he moved out of state while she was employed by a home cleaning service hired by the victim’s real estate company.
Police allege Basek wrote checks to herself on multiple occasions between October and December 2025.
Basek was charged with three counts each of third-degree theft, third-degree theft by deception, third-degree forgery of checks and third-degree presenting forged checks.
Authorities said Basek was issued a complaint summons and released pending an appearance in Sussex County Superior Court in accordance with New Jersey’s bail reform law.
