Tags Posts tagged with "stealing funds"

stealing funds

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Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Photo from Tierney's office

Eleni Kalodis Allegedly Redirected Her Employer’s Vendor Credits to Her Personal Accounts in Order to Fund Lavish Lifestyle

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney on Oct. 31 announced the arrest of Eleni Kalodis, 54, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, for Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, for allegedly stealing vendor credits from a St. James-based HVAC company and then transferring the funds to her personal accounts during her six years employed there in order to subsidize various extravagant expenses.

“The alleged acts of this defendant illustrate an employee who exploited her position of trust to systematically steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Trust is the foundation of which business and our economy thrive. Our office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who betray their professional responsibilities for personal gain.”

According to the investigation, from March 2017 to December 2023, Kalodis allegedly stole funds in the form of purchase order credits from Islandaire, a nationwide specialty air conditioning and heating manufacturer, which were due and payable to the vendors who conducted business with the company.

Kalodis, in her capacity as the Credits Receivable Supervisor, was the only individual at Islandaire who had access to crediting the company’s vendor accounts, and she allegedly took this unfettered opportunity to steal over $400,000 from the company for over six years, by redirecting those credits into her own accounts to pay her expenses, including restaurants, hotels, vacations and crypto currency purchases.

On October 30,  District Court Judge Alonzo Jacobs ordered Kalodis placed on supervised release and ordered her to surrender her passport during the pendency of the case. Kalodis is due back in court on November 20,  and she is being represented by William Newman, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Milito of the Financial Crime Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Special Investigator Robert Magrino from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Financial Crime Bureau.

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Matthew Dickson Paid $76,237 in Restitution to the Soccer Club Prior to the Plea

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Sept. 6 that Matthew Dickson, 44, of Dix Hills, and the former Vice President and President of the Dix Hills Soccer Club, pleaded guilty today to Petit Larceny, for embezzling more than $70,000 from the club in 2022.

“This defendant executed a scheme to line his own pockets with funds that were intended to benefit children,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Today’s guilty plea not only holds him accountable for his betrayal of trust, but is also an important step towards making his victims feel whole again as my office required the defendant pay back the full amount of money to the soccer club.”

“Justice has been served for the members of our club and community,” said Dix Hills Soccer Club president Martin Targett. “We are pleased our procedures allowed us to identify the wrongdoing, and we are grateful for the professionalism and collaboration with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, between April and November 2022, Dickson was responsible for paying the bills associated with the Dix Hills Soccer Club.

During that same period, Dickson held the position of Vice President, and then later, President, of the soccer club. Instead of paying the expenses, Dickson began writing checks to himself and to his corporation from the soccer club’s account without the board of directors’ permission. Further investigation revealed that the defendant collected payments from club members through his personal Venmo account for soccer-related events, but then never deposited into the club’s bank account. Additionally, he failed to reimburse the club for expenses that he charged on the soccer club’s credit card.

On September 6, 2024, Dickson pleaded guilty to Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins. Prior to his plea, Dickson was required by prosecutors to pay $76,237 in restitution to the soccer club and write an apology letter to the board of directors. As additional conditions of his plea, Dickson will be required to serve three years of probation and complete over 400 hours of community service.

Dickson is due back in court for sentencing on November 15, 2024, and he is being represented by James Misiano, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Adriana Noyola of the Financial Crimes Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Investigator Daniel Ayrovainen of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Financial Crimes Bureau.