Employee Theft Blog

Employee Errors, Fraud to Top $115 Bil in 2009

2009-02-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

London—Retailers may want to watch their employees a little more closely in 2009. Datamonitor predicts global retail shrinkage will climb to almost $115 billion by the end of 2009 due to loss incurred through cashier error, theft and fraudulent point of sale (POS) transactions.

Full Article Here

County employee arrested

2008-08-24T07:42:00.001-04:00

From the Dadeville Record, Alabama

Attorney General Troy King’s office announced Monday the arrest of a Tallapoosa County maintenance department employee for felony charges of ethics law violation and first-degree theft.

Michael A. Lucas, 50 of Alexander City, surrendered at the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s office and was released on a $30,000 bond.

Full Story Here

Utility Company Bookkeeper Faces Embezzlement Charges

2008-08-21T05:58:00.001-04:00

BOSCAWEN, N.H. -- A bookkeeper for a small New Hampshire utility company is accused of stealing thousands of dollars.The Attorney General's office says Cheryl Saltmarsh embezzled funds from the Penacook-Boscawen Water Precinct over a two-year period.

Article Here

Small Businesses Lose $200K to Fraud, Survey Reports

2008-08-12T14:43:00.002-04:00

The Insurance Journal reports that a recent survey finds that the average fraud loss for businesses under 100 employees tops $200,000.

Article Here

53-year-old wanted in theft at Pheasant Run

2008-08-04T11:06:00.001-04:00

WHEATON -- An arrest warrant has been issued for an Aurora woman accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from Pheasant Run Resort.

A former employee of the resort in St. Charles, Cynthia L. Hutchison, 53, of 755 Edgelawn Drive, has been charged with one felony count of theft exceeding $100,000 but less than $500,000, according to court records.

A DuPage County grand jury returned the one-count indictment late last week.

The alleged thefts occurred between September 2002 and March 2007, court records indicate.

Full Story

Embezzlement Suspect Under Suicide Watch

2008-07-16T17:03:00.002-04:00

HOUSTON (AP) -- A Harris County judge has set bond at $1 million for an accounting clerk accused of stealing $6 million from her employer. The bond for Marcia Sinclair was originally set at $12 million.

Full Story Here - With Video

Adventure Island Worker Charged With Stealing $113,000

2008-07-08T00:34:00.001-04:00

TAMPA - An Adventure Island manager has embezzled more than $113,000 from the company since May 2007, police say.

Officers arrested Stephen Andrew Boucher, 28, at 4 p.m. Sunday.

On Sunday, a detective working in an extra-duty capacity was told that Boucher was stealing money from register tills. The detective worked with Busch Gardens' loss prevention investigators, using security video to watch Boucher.

While Boucher was being watched, he stole $1,500 from three different registers, a police report states.

Full Story Here

Car dealership employee accused of stealing money

2008-07-08T00:32:00.000-04:00

Police are looking for a car dealership employee who is accused of stealing $9,558 by faking the return of car parts.

According to a police report, Maroone Chrysler Chevrolet parts manager Jose Valle, 30, of West Palm Beach, would make it look like a customer returned a car part after having paid for it in cash.

Full Story Here

How Can I Prevent Theft in My Store?

2008-07-04T03:11:00.001-04:00

From the NY Times...

Shoplifting, burglaries, and employee theft amount to billions of dollars in yearly losses for retail store managers. By far, the greatest threat comes from shoplifting, which can be combated with the use of........

Full Article Here

Children's foundation employee accused of stealing

2008-07-03T01:12:00.003-04:00

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Authorities say a former employee at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health has been charged with stealing more than $350,000 from the organization.

Santa Clara County prosecutors allege that 68-year-old Marilyn Machalowski embezzled money while working as an account manager in the payroll department of the children's health foundation. She is being charged with felony grand theft.

Full Story Here

Former Coffee County employee charged with theft of $27,000

2008-07-03T01:09:00.001-04:00

Authorities arrested a 39-year-old former Coffee County (AL)employee Wednesday and charged her with stealing about $27,000 from the county’s solid waste office, said Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley.

Tamara Lee Kyser, 39, of Newton, turned herself in to the Coffee County Jail on Wednesday morning with her lawyer Paul A. Young Jr. She was later released after she posted a $25,000 bond.

“It’s the state’s contention she took customers’ money instead of depositing it,” McAliley said. “What brought it to light is people who had made payments for garbage pickup, their check never cleared the bank.”

Full Story Here

Camden (NY) man charged for theft from employer

2008-06-30T21:34:00.001-04:00

NEW HARTFORD - The New Hartford Police concluded a 3-week investigation into an employee theft from the C & S Wholesale Grocers located at 1 Oxford Crossing.

On June 30, 2008 Mark W. Campbell 40, of Camden was arrested on an active Arrest Warrant by the Oneida County Sheriffs Office at his residence and turned over to the New Hartford Police Warrants Division.

According to Patrolman Matthew Sica, Campbell was an employee at C & S Wholesale Grocers and in April 2008 he began unlawfully writing out company checks to himself.

Read The Whole Story Here From Utica NY Channel 2 WKTV

Four Housing workers face 10G theft rap

2008-06-28T22:38:00.003-04:00

Four Housing Authority employees, including a borough-wide administrator, were nabbed for allegedly stealing more than $10,000 from the embattled agency in the Bronx, officials said.

The Department of Investigation said three workers at the Bronx River Community Center took cash and money orders that were supposed to pay for programs, services and renting an event room.

That prompted housing officials to randomly check their community center rentals, finding a similar scheme at the University Consolidated Houses' community center run by a fourth employee, DOI said.

Full Story Here From The Daily News

Employee Theft Prevention

2008-06-28T14:38:00.004-04:00

Here's an article I wrote on strategies to prevent employee theft. It also covers other crime insurance issues.

Warrant for school district employee's arrest sought in theft inquiry

2008-06-28T13:19:00.002-04:00

Palm Beach County School District police are seeking a grand theft warrant for the arrest of a former child-care director accused of stealing nearly $18,000 in fees.

On June 9, Carrie J. Hoffman resigned as School Age Child-Care director at Palmetto Elementary School in West Palm Beach, after theft allegations surfaced in a school district audit of the school's after-school program and summer camp funds.

Police suspect Hoffman, 24, of West Palm Beach, stole $17,839 in fees that were reported missing in the audit, according to an investigation report released this week.

Full Story Here By Sun Sentinel, Florida

Lake Geneva library employee fired for stealing money

2008-06-28T13:16:00.001-04:00

LAKE GENEVA — A member of the Lake Geneva Public Library staff was fired after she admitted stealing about $18,500 from the library in the last two years, Mayor William Chesen said.

Mercedes Mogensen, 44, Elkhorn, admitted to stealing after a recent city audit showed about $18,500 missing between April 2006 and March 2008, Chesen said.

The Lake Geneva Police Department has referred possible charges of felony theft to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office.

Full Story Here From GazetteXtra.com Janesville, WI

In business, beware of too much trust

2008-06-28T13:14:00.002-04:00

Trust should always be monitored. Entrepreneurs can never assume that it is there and that it will always be reciprocated.

In business, we have to trust that our staff is being honest with us and that our employees are protecting our assets. There is just no way for any entrepreneur to be completely protected from employee theft at all times. If we were to make a business theft-proof, the rules and regulations would be onerous, taxing and so detailed that nothing would ever get done.

Full Story Here From BradnetonHerald.com

Employee Theft Caught on Tape

2008-06-28T13:10:00.002-04:00

18 year old Sean Roanald Bissonnette of 532 Morrison Street and 18 year old Matthew David Nogalo of 104 Prince Charles Crescent have both been charged with 1 count each of theft under $5000.

It is believed that on the 26th of June at approximately 7pm Matthew Nogalo was working at Canadian Tire where he opened the Back Bay door to Sean Bissonnette who is also an employee at Canadian Tire.

Full Story Here From Soonews, Sault St. Marie, Ontario

Gardiner (Maine) mayor says theft from city was betrayal

2008-06-28T12:59:00.002-04:00

A former finance administrator is accused of stealing more than $195,000 from city.

GARDINER — Mayor Andrew MacLean said Friday that the community has a right to feel "violated and betrayed" by allegations that a former finance administrator stole more than $195,000 from the city over a six-year period.

A Kennebec County grand jury on Thursday indicted Patricia Coty, 55, of Gardiner, on a charge of felony theft.

Full Story Here By The Portland Press Herald