Workers Are Caught Stealing Via Forged Company Checks

EASTON, PA—It seems some people in control of the financial ledgers at several printing operations have been taking liberties with the checkbooks. Two unrelated examples of such thievery were revealed recently.

Police here charged a husband and wife with stealing more than $657,000 from Harmony Press, The Morning Call reported.

Christina and Brian Russo were charged with theft by unlawful taking, criminal conspiracy to commit theft and receiving stolen property.

Christina Russo allegedly wrote unauthorized checks to herself and her husband last October. Shop owner Stephen Grotenhuis said he confronted Christina Russo about the unauthorized checks, at which point she allegedly admitted taking the money. Both Russos are free on unsecured bail, the paper said.

Elsewhere, the former bookkeeper for Mustard Press in Medford, OR, is accused of pilfering more than $140,000 from her employer during a four-year period, the Mail Tribune reported. Loretta Floyd, 41, is facing 12 theft charges, including aggravated identity theft.

Mustard Press owners contacted local police last July after noticing forged signatures on company checks and other accounting discrepancies, the paper said. One of the owners, Kathy Mustard, said that Floyd had "escalated" the amount she was stealing.

Floyd allegedly created more than 60 fraudulent checks, and then signed one of the owner's names to each check. In all, she reportedly stole $142,386.

Bail was set at $105,000.