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A bookkeeper's seven–year embezzlement spree finally ran out when a co–worker noticed her odd behavior and escalated her suspicions to her manager. After an investigation, the bookkeeper confessed to stealing $650,000!
In November 2012, a Ticor Title administrative office in the Midwest received a call from a credit card company inquiring about a check they received from Ticor for just under $5,550 without an account number. The Ticor accounting clerk who received the call started asking the normal questions for additional information from the caller, such as escrow number and check number.
Suddenly, a co–worker who overheard the conversation flew out of her office, took the paperwork from the accounting clerk and went behind closed doors to speak with the credit card company. Karen DeWitt, an assistant, witnessed the entire bizarre scene and contacted her operations manager with the details.
A behind the scenes investigation ensued and it was discovered the bookkeeper had stolen $178,900 dating back to 2001. The employee who started with the Company in 1992 had established a fake escrow file to deposit stale dated checks. From that file she would issue checks from the trust account to her credit card company, herself and her parents. The checks were cashed without a second signature, only a digitized signature of the Company Treasurer.
When confronted with management's findings, the bookkeeper signed a full confession acknowledging her misdeeds, and admitted to stealing almost $650,000!
She was immediately terminated, Ticor referred the matter to authorities for criminal prosecution and is instituting a civil suit to recover the stolen funds.
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MORAL OF THE STORY
Karen was not involved in the phone call from the credit card company. She was not involved in the drama of ripping away the paperwork and the confidential conversations. Karen could have easily opted to put her head down and not get involved, but she did get involved. If it was not for her courageous actions in reporting the incident, the bookkeeper could still be stealing money from the Company to this very day.
As stated by her operations manager, Daniel Rohaley, "It is employees like Karen DeWitt who demonstrate the fortitude to report something that just did not seem right." In recognition of Karen's actions to report the incident she has been rewarded $1,000 on behalf of the Company as well as a letter of recognition.
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