Embezzlement

A Central Falls city councilor has been charged with two counts of embezzlement. The Providence Journal reported Richard G. Aubin Jr. was arrested Wednesday at his family business, Quality Auto Repair. Aubin is accused of selling two vehicles seized by police, then pocketing $6,000 in proceeds for himself. Authorities told the Journal that Aubin has sold vehicles seized during law enforcement actions over the past several years, but he always turned over the proceeds to the police department.

The shadowy financial adviser of the late Yasser Arafat is being sought on suspicion he stole millions of dollars in public funds, the top Palestinian anti-corruption campaigner said Wednesday. It is the most high-profile case since the Palestinian Authority established its Anti-Corruption Commission and a special court two years ago to deal with such cases, the panel's chief, Rafik Natche, told The Associated Press. The former financial adviser, Mohammed Rashid, is suspected of transferring millions of dollars out of the Palestinian Investment Fund and setting up fake companies,...

A former South Carolina bank official has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for embezzling more than $300,000 from the institution. U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles says 40-year-old Torlando Ramont Childress of Hopkins was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Columbia. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie also ordered Childress to repay more than $377,000 to the bank and its insurance carrier. Prosecutors said Childress was the chief financial officer of South Carolina Community Bank and had the ability to make transfers into and out of all of the bank's accounts.

The longtime operations chief of Argentina's Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo human rights group has been jailed on charges of embezzlement and criminal conspiracy. Sergio Schoklender was formally charged Tuesday by a judge investigating whether he embezzled more than $156 million that the government gave the group to build housing for the poor. Judge Norberto Oyarbide also ordered Schoklender's brother Pablo jailed along with an accountant for a construction company they formed.

The longtime operations chief of Argentina's Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo human rights group has been jailed on charges of embezzlement and criminal conspiracy. Sergio Schoklender was formally charged Tuesday by a judge investigating whether he embezzled more than $156 million that the government gave the group to build housing for the poor. Judge Norberto Oyarbide also ordered Schoklender's brother Pablo jailed along with an accountant for a construction company they formed.

A Vermont woman has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing her of embezzling $82,000 from the Algiers Fire District in Guilford in southern Vermont. Fifty-year-old Sherry Roebuck of Guilford worked as treasurer for the fire district, which receives some federal funding. She's charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of misappropriation of federal money. The Burlington Free Press (http://bfpne.ws/sWOAey) reports that Roebuck is accused of writing checks to herself from the district's accounts.

The shadowy financial adviser of the late Yasser Arafat is being sought on suspicion he stole millions of dollars in public funds, the top Palestinian anti-corruption campaigner said Wednesday. It is the most high-profile case since the Palestinian Authority established its Anti-Corruption Commission and a special court two years ago to deal with such cases, the panel's chief, Rafik Natche, told The Associated Press. The former financial adviser, Mohammed Rashid, is suspected of transferring millions of dollars out of the Palestinian Investment Fund and setting up fake companies,...

A former airport catering company manager has been charged with embezzlement and forgery worth 138 million kroner ($24.5 million). Prosecutor for economic crimes Jens Madsen says Amanda Nyholm Jacobsen spent the money on an expensive house in Denmark, cars, watches, jewelry, art and private trips during 2008-2011. Madsen on Tuesday called it "an unusual case because of the large sum of money. " Nyholm Jacobsen, former head of Gate Gourmet in Copenhagen, earlier confessed fraud worth 120 million kroner ($21.3 million)

BATON ROUGE, La. - An internal review by ACORN’s board of directors found that $5 million was embezzled from the community organization, far more than a previously reported sum of $1 million, according to documents from the Louisiana attorney general’s office. The new amount was reported in a subpoena released Monday from an investigation by Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, the Times-Picayune reported yesterday. It is unclear if the money was taken from state, federal, or private funds, according to the subpoena.

A former Houston oil services company accountant and several members of her family have been charged with first-degree felony theft. Prosectors say the woman stole more than $13 million from her employer over 10 years. Harris County prosecutors say Nancy Moreno paid the money to dummy accounts from company funds while working at Davis-Lynch Inc. Prosecutor Wendy Baker says she then funneled money from those accounts to herself and several relatives. Baker said Moreno had been “a trusted employee’’ who had taken years to build that trust.

Four people are facing federal charges they embezzled more than $500,000 from a Vermont mobile home dealer. The indictments released Thursday allege the embezzlement took place between 2008 and last September. Facing charges are the ex-bookkeeper of Brault's Mobile Homes, 54-year-old Gisele Adams, of Winooski; 32-year-old salesman Patrick Cortright, of Milton; Adams' son, 28-year-old Joshua Therrien, off Burlington; and Therrien's 24-year-old girlfriend Lynette Fuller, of Colchester.

The animals seized from a renowned horse breeder accused of using her day job as a city bookkeeper to steal millions in public funds have telling names: Jewels by Tiffany, Have Faith in Money. Rita Crundwell lavished attention on her prize-winning animals, and their catchy names helped them stand out at show exhibitions. They might also reveal something about the woman prosecutors say was behind a staggering theft of $53 million from the city of Dixon in northern Illinois, or at least about the flashy breeding industry she loved.

A former airport catering company manager has been charged with embezzlement and forgery worth 138 million kroner ($24.5 million). Prosecutor for economic crimes Jens Madsen says Amanda Nyholm Jacobsen spent the money on an expensive house in Denmark, cars, watches, jewelry, art and private trips during 2008-2011. Madsen on Tuesday called it "an unusual case because of the large sum of money. " Nyholm Jacobsen, former head of Gate Gourmet in Copenhagen, earlier confessed fraud worth 120 million kroner ($21.3 million)

The former superintendent of the Lawrence public schools was found guilty Thursday of embezzlement and possession of alcohol on school property, the Essex district attorney's office said. Wilfredo Laboy was found guilty in Salem Superior Court on five charges of embezzlement and one charge of possession of alcohol on school property, said Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. Laboy was found not guilty on three other embezzlement charges.

A Westerly woman sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 for embezzling more than $500,000 from a charity and a family business will be getting out of prison early. The Westerly Sun reports ( http://bit.ly/xlnC9E) that 57-year-old Louise Distefano is to be released March 13 from Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. She's getting credit for serving most of 2009 in prison and for good behavior. Officials say Distefano will be released and turned over to Connecticut authorities to face a probation violation charge.

Federal prosecutors say the former chief executive of Latex International has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion related to his embezzlement of about $1.7 million from the Shelton mattress and pillow manufacturer. The U.S. attorney's office says Kevin Coleman, of Waseca, Minn., and Joanne Osmolik, who was vice president for human resources, embezzled more than $3.4 million in corporate money for personal expenses. The 51-year-old Coleman entered his plea Monday in federal court in Bridgeport.

Federal prosecutors say the former chief executive of Latex International has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion related to his embezzlement of about $1.7 million from the Shelton mattress and pillow manufacturer. The U.S. attorney's office says Kevin Coleman, of Waseca, Minn., and Joanne Osmolik, who was vice president for human resources, embezzled more than $3.4 million in corporate money for personal expenses. The 51-year-old Coleman entered his plea Monday in federal court in Bridgeport.

Four people are facing federal charges they embezzled more than $500,000 from a Vermont mobile home dealer. The indictments released Thursday allege the embezzlement took place between 2008 and last September. Facing charges are the ex-bookkeeper of Brault's Mobile Homes, 54-year-old Gisele Adams, of Winooski; 32-year-old salesman Patrick Cortright, of Milton; Adams' son, 28-year-old Joshua Therrien, off Burlington; and Therrien's 24-year-old girlfriend Lynette Fuller, of Colchester.

A Vermont woman has been indicted in New Hampshire on charges of stealing $2,500 from an American Legion auxiliary. Forty-nine-year-old Kathleen Renna, formerly of St. Johnsbury, had been treasurer of the Woodsville group. The Caledonian-Record reports (http://bit.ly/w6cVrs) she was indicted Jan. 20 on a felony count of attempting to deprive the legion of money through two separate bank withdrawals. The indictment alleges Renna withdrew $1,000 from the auxiliary's account with Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank on Nov. 22, 2010.

Former North Andover purchasing director Joseph Lydick had a plan. He decided to advertise surplus trucks, snowplows, and other equipment on the town's eBay account. But when the items were sold, Lydick instructed purchasers to write out checks totaling more than $20,000 directly to him. In 2009, when police caught on to Lydick's plan, the Derry, N.H., man told law enforcement that he took the money and bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend. Lydick was fired from his post in December 2009.