Retail Association employee arrested in theft www.privateofficer.com
Posted by privateofficernews on April 24, 2008
Retail Association employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
Annapolis MD. April 24 2008
The next time the Maryland Retailers Association warns its members about the dangers of employee theft, the organization won’t have to look far for an example.
Sandra Kay Oliver, a former employee of the association based on Conduit Street in Annapolis, faces 11 charges of felony theft alleging she stole “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the MRA since 1998, according to court documents.
Deputy State’s Attorney William Roessler noted the “elaborate” nature of the theft scheme, but declined to elaborate on it before the 78-day trial scheduled to begin Oct. 6 in front of Circuit Court Judge Pamela North.
“I think it is unprecedented,” Mr. Roessler said of the three-month trial. “I don’t think we have ever had a criminal trial … last more than two or three weeks, even death penalty murder cases.”
The judge alone will determine Ms. Oliver’s innocence or guilt. There will not be a jury.
Each charge carries the possibility of 15 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.
Details of how and when police think Ms. Oliver, who worked in the association’s financial and membership services division, stole the money are not available. Tom Saquella, president of the association, and prosecutors declined to comment Friday and court records provided few particulars – or even a total amount.
According to numerous defense motions seeking the release of different bills and records, the state alleges Ms. Oliver used the company credit card and checkbook to make hundreds of unauthorized payments to different businesses.
Charging documents said the thefts began as early as May 4, 1998, and continued until at least May 31, 2005. Ms. Oliver, 51, was charged June 26, 2006.
Samuel J. Brown, Ms. Oliver’s attorney, argued in court documents that all of the credit card charges were “authorized” and “directly related to MRA business.”
To prove that, however, Mr. Brown said he needed copies of the individual bills and receipts.
“The charges go back to 1998 and the defendant’s memory needs to be refreshed by documents from the company’s with whom MRA did business,” he wrote.
To prove the case against Ms. Oliver, Mr. Roessler said, experts will sift through dozens of boxes of files on the stand and explain to the judge exactly where the money went.
“I think the word to describe it will be tedious. … One piece of paper being described after another,” he said. “There are so many files. It’s going to take weeks.”
Mr. Brown thinks the 78-day trial on the docket is overkill, that prosecutors won’t need as much time as they think.
“I think it takes two weeks to try this case,” he said.
Plea negotiations are ongoing, but the defense Friday was not optimistic they would be able to reach a deal.
“It appears this case may go to trial,” Mr. Brown said. He said the state wants too much in restitution, but he declined to say how much they were willing to accept in a plea agreement.
Last month, Judge North set an April 30 deadline for Ms. Oliver to accept or reject the plea. She said the case was creating “significant” problems in the scheduling of other cases.
If the case goes to trial, it would effectively take one of the county’s 11 circuit court judges out of service for the months of October, November and December, as well as one of the county’s prosecutors.
“My concern is, if you wait until the day of trial to advise me of any plea, then the remaining (77) days are lost at the cost of scheduling many other cases,” Judge North said.
The next time the Maryland Retailers Association warns its members about the dangers of employee theft, the organization won’t have to look far for an example.
Sandra Kay Oliver, a former employee of the association based on Conduit Street in Annapolis, faces 11 charges of felony theft alleging she stole “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the MRA since 1998, according to court documents.
Deputy State’s Attorney William Roessler noted the “elaborate” nature of the theft scheme, but declined to elaborate on it before the 78-day trial scheduled to begin Oct. 6 in front of Circuit Court Judge Pamela North.
“I think it is unprecedented,” Mr. Roessler said of the three-month trial. “I don’t think we have ever had a criminal trial … last more than two or three weeks, even death penalty murder cases.”
The judge alone will determine Ms. Oliver’s innocence or guilt. There will not be a jury.
Each charge carries the possibility of 15 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.
Details of how and when police think Ms. Oliver, who worked in the association’s financial and membership services division, stole the money are not available. Tom Saquella, president of the association, and prosecutors declined to comment Friday and court records provided few particulars – or even a total amount.
According to numerous defense motions seeking the release of different bills and records, the state alleges Ms. Oliver used the company credit card and checkbook to make hundreds of unauthorized payments to different businesses.
Charging documents said the thefts began as early as May 4, 1998, and continued until at least May 31, 2005. Ms. Oliver, 51, was charged June 26, 2006.
Samuel J. Brown, Ms. Oliver’s attorney, argued in court documents that all of the credit card charges were “authorized” and “directly related to MRA business.”
To prove that, however, Mr. Brown said he needed copies of the individual bills and receipts.
“The charges go back to 1998 and the defendant’s memory needs to be refreshed by documents from the company’s with whom MRA did business,” he wrote.
To prove the case against Ms. Oliver, Mr. Roessler said, experts will sift through dozens of boxes of files on the stand and explain to the judge exactly where the money went.
“I think the word to describe it will be tedious. … One piece of paper being described after another,” he said. “There are so many files. It’s going to take weeks.”
Mr. Brown thinks the 78-day trial on the docket is overkill, that prosecutors won’t need as much time as they think.
“I think it takes two weeks to try this case,” he said.
Plea negotiations are ongoing, but the defense Friday was not optimistic they would be able to reach a deal.
“It appears this case may go to trial,” Mr. Brown said. He said the state wants too much in restitution, but he declined to say how much they were willing to accept in a plea agreement.
Last month, Judge North set an April 30 deadline for Ms. Oliver to accept or reject the plea. She said the case was creating “significant” problems in the scheduling of other cases.
If the case goes to trial, it would effectively take one of the county’s 11 circuit court judges out of service for the months of October, November and December, as well as one of the county’s prosecutors.
“My concern is, if you wait until the day of trial to advise me of any plea, then the remaining (77) days are lost at the cost of scheduling many other cases,” Judge North said.
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