Manchester Cemetery Manager Accused of Skimming Funds

The manager of Whiting Memorial Park Cemetery in Manchester is accused of diverting at least $76,000 due the cemetery from customers to a financial-services firm that he owns.

Alan R. Grote, 64, of Manchester's Whiting section, is charged with second-degree theft by deception, according to information from Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato's office.

He was arrested Monday at his Franklin Lane home and brought to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, with bail set at $35,000.

Investigators in the county's Economic Crimes division say that the siphoning dates back five years and more than 100 instances Grote is accused of offering discounts to customers who paid the cemetery through his Cash Management Consultants enterprise. Grote, they say, documented none of the transactions.

Authorities suspect that Grote also sold plots, mausoleum space, openings and closings during the time the alleged skimming took place.

They're asking anyone who paid cemetery invoices through Grote or Cash Management Consultants to contact Detective James Conroy at 732-929-2027.