EMPLOYEE THEFT CASES
RECENT CASES OF WORKPLACE THEFT
Postal worker in Portland steals mail.
Postal worker John Paul Osburn, 32 was arraigned on charges of 114 counts of mail theft and 30 counts of identity theft.
Osburn was stealing and hording the mail in a storage unit rented by an acquaintance of Osbuen, 33-year old Shawna Marie Barrett. The rent for the unit went unpaid, and the unit went up for auction. When they opened up the unit, they found the mail.
Investigators from the postal service worked with the Portland Police Bureau to determine the identity of the mail carrier. Osburn was a part time employee, and he did not have his own mail route. Instead, he worked on a number of different routes, making it easier for him to make the mail “disappear”.
Bank employee surrenders
Lisa Wilson was an employee at PNC bank, and is now facing charges of $1,500 in theft. An investigation revealed that between April and September, she was taking money from the daily deposits at the ATM. The bank conducted their own audit and investigation, eventually showing that Wilson was the one responsible for the theft.
The 42-year-old employee surrendered to the police without incident on Friday, September. They released her on $2,000 unsecured bail to await her hearing.
Theft at Amazon
Angela Gibson of Kentucky was accused of stealing more than $10,000 in merchandise from Amazon.
Amazon’s loss prevention team confronted Gibson, and the police say that she eventually admitted to the theft. When they searched her home, they found more than $10,000 in goods stored in her garage.
Utilities employee theft charge
An employee in Freehold, NJ who worked as a comptroller and treasurer for the Middlesex County Utilities Authority was recently arrested for theft in excess of $57,000.
The accused, 68-year-old Margaret Brennan received charges of failing to pay state taxes, filing false state income tax returns, and theft by deception. She also withdrew money from the utility company’s account and wrote the checks to herself over the past two years.
Theft at the resort
An employee of the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida was recently arrested and faces charges of theft. Eric Lashay Mitchell has been an employee of the club for more than 15 years. A loss prevention officer working for the resort contacted them upon discovering the instances of theft.
Mitchell was making purchases through the club, but he kept the items for his own use. Many of the purchases made were for his vehicle. He bought ties, a car battery, and a radiator. He claims he needed money to pay for family medical bills and to care for his wife and children.
Dealing with theft
If you feel that there could be theft happening at your business, contact us for a free and private consultation.