Quadruple NJ killer Paul Caneiro stole $85K from brother: prosecutors

Cash-strapped New Jersey tech boss Paul Caneiro was paying for five luxury cars — including one for his mistress — when he was confronted by his brother for swiping $80,000 from him hours before he was murdered, according to prosecutors.

Paul Caneiro was shelling out cash for leases on three Porsches, a loan for a Jeep Wrangler and a lease for his lover’s Audi Q5 SUV — for which he dished out over $85,000 in payments in 2017 and 2018 — all while his tech businesses were tanking and he was on disability pay.

He allegedly swiped $78,000 from his younger brother and business partner, Keith Caneiro, who furiously confronted his sibling about the missing money just hours before he was murdered in 2018.

Surveillance video was played in court Tuesday in which Keith could be heard yelling at his brother to give him the login information for Keith’s trust fund — which Paul was the trustee of.

“Give me the f–king login, Paul,” demanded Keith, who is not seen in the video. “Just give me the login so I can see where the money went.”

“Wake the f–k up, Paul. I just spent half the day looking for this,” Keith said. “I need to know where it went.”

Keith then gave Paul until 8 p.m. to get back to him with the login information.

But Paul never got back to him, instead plotting to kill his brother and his brother’s family hours later, prosecutors alleged.

Prosecutors previously said they planned to introduce evidence that Paul — a married dad — pilfered the money from Keith to help fund his affair, including paying for his mistress’ Audi, according to a report by NJ.com.

While the jury hasn’t yet heard evidence about the alleged dalliance, Det. Debra Bassinder, an investigator with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office, testified that Paul in 2018 made payments of nearly $10,000 on a $53,000 lease for the Audi Q5.

Paul co-owned two companies with his brother, tech firm Square One and extermination company EcoStar. But the businesses were struggling — and Paul was on disability.

Meanwhile, Paul’s expenses ballooned to more than $400,000 in 2017 and more than $300,000 in 2018. He also owed a hefty tax bill for which he paid nearly $55,000 in those two years and his bank accounts regularly went into the red, Bassinder told jurors.

Paul also paid hundreds of thousands in credit card bills over those two years and he had taken out loans from his retirement fund, the detective said.

These money problems prompted Paul to dip into Keith’s trust fund meant to pay premiums on Keith’s $3 million life insurance policy, prosecutors alleged.

Paul allegedly went to Keith’s house in the early hours of Nov. 20, 2018, cutting the electricity and generator to Keith’s home and “waiting in the shadows” outside to ambush the sibling when he came out to check on the power, prosecutors claimed.

After shooting Keith, Paul then went inside and shot and stabbed Keith’s wife Jennifer, 45, before repeatedly stabbing their kids, Sophia, 8, and Jesse, 11, prosecutors alleged.

Paul pleaded not guilty and is expected to be on trial for the next 2 1/2 months.