Worker bought talking trees, charges say

[Roses]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070123/...r_embezzlement

By NANCY RABINOWITZ,
Associated Press Writer

Tue Jan 23, 12:14 AM ET

A bookkeeper for a construction materials company embezzled $6.9 million and used the money to go on a shopping spree that included a 104-acre ranch and a half-dozen talking trees like those in "The Wizard of Oz," federal authorities said Monday.

Prosecutors say Angela Buckborough Platt also bought eight show horses; a fleet of motor vehicles including a 1964 Ford Thunderbird; a house on five acres in Rhode Island; Hollywood-grade cinematic props to decorate her home for Halloween; and a life-size ceramic statue of Al Capone.

Samantha Martin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, said that when friends or relatives asked Platt about her wealth, she told them that she was the CEO of a corporation or that she and her husband had won the lottery.

Platt, 43, of Wyoming, Pa., was charged Monday with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. She has agreed to plead guilty in a deal subject to court approval, Martin said.

Platt bought six of the talking trees, which were Hollywood-grade cinematic props, for $3,000 each to decorate her home for Halloween, the U.S. attorney's office said. She also splurged on a 20-foot-tall smoke-emitting dragon called "The Slayer," which sported hydraulically powered wings and a "booming dragon roar," authorities said.

Platt, formerly of Cumberland, R.I., worked as a staff accountant for J&J Materials Corp. in Rehoboth from 1999 to 2006.

Authorities say that in June 2000, Platt began to write checks from company accounts to herself. The weekly deposits initially ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 but eventually neared $50,000, prosecutors said.

Her theft was discovered in June by another bookkeeper who had been newly hired to assist her.

"I'm not going to say anything one way or another, other than to say there is a plea agreement," said Platt's attorney, R. Bradford Bailey.

Martin said the agreement calls for Platt to spend between 46 and 57 months in prison.

J&J owner John Ferreira said he has received about $2 million in restitution so far, most of it in real estate, cars, horses and other items. He said Platt always seemed like a good employee.

"I'm angry, disappointed," Ferreira said. "She hurt a lot of people."


Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

[Piggybank Cop]

Who checks the checkers?

[BigDawg]

What company can go that long and not notice almost 7million missing?? Is the owner that clueless about his own company???

[resdepbrian]

Authorities say that in June 2000, Platt began to write checks from company accounts to herself. The weekly deposits initially ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 but eventually neared $50,000, prosecutors said....

.....He said Platt always seemed like a good employee.

It's pretty easy to be a happy, "good employee" when your pocketing $50,000 a week.

Hard to believe that it took six years for them to discover the thefts...especially when she was writing the checks to herself.

[Roses]

They need to implement some policies for checks and balances.

[resdepbrian]

They need to implement some policies for checks and balances.

They had a "checks and balances system" alright....all the checks went to the bookkeeper, and her account balances went up.