Employee allegedly embezzled $215,000 from furniture store she worked at over two years
Maria Hamma, 46, accused of stealing money from Furniture from High Point in South Carolina
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An employee has been accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from a South Carolina furniture store and spending some of it on two European vacations.
Maria Hamma, 46, from South Carolina allegedly stole the money from her employer Furniture from High Point in Anderson County, according to authorities.
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office claims that Hamma, who worked at the store for 10 years and was a manager for seven, took more than $215,000, some of which was used to pay for both three-week holidays.
A two-month investigation was launched after the store’s owner spotted “inconsistencies” in the company’s business records.
Detectives allege that Hamma used at least six different methods to embezzle the money, including allegedly stealing directly from the company’s cash register, as well as running up $30,000 worth of personal expenses on her company credit card.
She is also accused of writing herself a $6,000 bonus check and forging timecards with more than 800 hours of fake work,
“When she was adding to the timecard, we’re talking 800 hours that were added over the course of two years. Every time I thought we were getting close to the end, something else would pop up,” said Detective Tyler Brown.
Hamma is also accused of fraudulently acting as if she was the company’s owner and “forged contracts” resulting in a total loss to the store of $215,318.
She now faces felony charges of committing a breach of trust, forgery, and computer crimes and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Following her arrest Hamma was released on a $15,000 bond, reported FOX Carolina.
The Independent has contacted the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office for more information on the incident.