Two men have been charged, via direct indictment, with a more than $126,000 theft in connection with a 2019 contracted trip for eight that never materialized, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Thursday.

John Donadio, 56, of Belmar and Michael Moyer, 56, of New Orleans, LA, has each been charged with second-degree theft.

An investigation by the Belmar Police Department that grew to also involve investigators with the Prosecutor’s Office determined that the primary victim in the case had entered into a contract with Eclipse Global Events, a Belmar-based company controlled by the defendants, for the trip to the annual golf tournament held in Augusta, Georgia.

The contracted charge for the trip was more than $126,000, to include lodging, tickets (both practice rounds and tournament rounds), hospitality events, and local transportation for all eight travelers.

Yet, shortly after the contracted amount was paid in full and immediately prior to the event, the victim was advised that their payment was “late,” and that he would not be receiving the trip — nor a refund.

A Monmouth County Grand Jury returned the indictment late last month, and Donadio turned himself in on Friday, Oct. 1. Moyer did the same five days later.

Anyone with additional information about the activities of defendants Donadio or Moyer is being asked to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Michael Acquaviva at 1-800-533-7443.

Convictions on these charges are commonly punishable by five to 10 years in state prison.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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