Elizabeth husband defrauded elderly family friend out of $1.6 million: police

ELIZABETH, NJ – A Union County man was arrested after police said he defrauded an elderly family friend and stole more than $1.6 million, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced .

Elijah Ray, 25, of Elizabeth, was charged with one count of second-degree theft by deception, one count of second-degree identity theft, one count of third-degree forgery and one count of third-degree theft by unlawful taking.

A criminal investigation conducted by investigators from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Unit revealed that between January 2022 and August 2024, Ray was involved in a lengthy deception scheme targeting an elderly family friend.

Ray was found to have defrauded the victim at least 1,600 times through a series of forged documents, impersonating commercial driving school representatives and fraudulent statements, totaling more than $1.6 million, according to Daniel.

In addition to the fraudulent scheme, Ray also stole and used the victim’s ATM card and wrote checks on her account, Daniel said.

On the morning of November 25, Ray was arrested without incident at his home in Elizabeth. He was taken to the Union County Jail where a detention hearing was held.

“This arrest highlights the devastating impact of financial crimes, particularly those that target vulnerable people,” Daniel said. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who exploit the trust of others for personal gain.”

Anyone with further information about this case is asked to contact Detective Jessica Tattoli of the Union County Special Prosecutor’s Office at 908-527-4325.

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