Woman allegedly stole $30K from company
A former bookkeeper for an Oak Harbor property management company is accused of embezzling about $30,000 from the business, according to documents on file in Island County Superior Court.
Prosecutors charged Theresa M. Gonsalves, 54, of Oak Harbor, with first-degree theft Nov. 3 in Island County Superior Court.
The co-owner of the company contacted police earlier this year and reported his suspicion that Gonsalves embezzled money from the company, according to the officer’s report.
The man reported that he discovered a $1,500 discrepancy in the company’s accounting in March and approached Gonsalves about it; she allegedly admitted to taking the money because “she had fallen on hard times,” the report said.
The man said he told the bookkeeper that she should have come to him if she needed money.
“He had helped other employees who were in similar circumstances and they had come to an agreement on paying him back,” the officer said in his report.
Gonsalves became very emotional and started crying when the owner told her that she was fired.
The man became suspicious and realized that the situation might be worse than the missing $1,500, the report said.
The owner said he reviewed the business’ financial records and discovered alleged shortages totaling more than $30,000 from the period of March 2011 to March 2014, according to the officer’s report.
Story and Comments: http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com
Dual control system requires the authorization or approval of two individuals to complete a transaction. It’s that simple. One individual should not be responsible for an entire financial transaction from beginning to finish. Many small companies fall into the trap of having one bookkeeper handle all accounts payable and accounts receivable and write, sign, and deliver the checks. The dual control system puts a second set of eyes on transactions, greatly lessening the risk of embezzlement.
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