| For Immediate Release Case # 08CF2460
|
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
PAYROLL MANAGER TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR EMBEZZLING $487,000 FROM EMPLOYER AND SPENDING STOLEN MONEY ON PERSONAL
LUXURIES AND GAMBLING
SANTA ANA – A former payroll manager of a publicly traded company will be arraigned on charges of stealing more than $487,000 from his employer by transferring money into a personal account to be spent on personal luxuries and gambling. Robert Lee Winn, 43, Norco, is charged with 48 felony counts of computer access and fraud with white collar crime sentencing enhancement allegations for causing loss over $100,000 and excessive taking over $150,000. He faces a maximum sentence of 36 years and four months in prison if convicted. Winn is being held on $500,000 and must prove that the money is from a legal and legitimate source before being allowed to post bail. He is scheduled for continued arraignment tomorrow, Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Between Dec. 31, 2003 and July 2, 2007, Winn is accused of embezzling more than $487,000 from his Santa Ana employer, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO), while he worked as the payroll manager. Winn is accused of using AMO’s payroll computer system to make direct deposits into a business checking account for an unrelated company owned solely by Winn. After the fraudulent transactions had been processed, Winn is accused of re-entering the AMO system and changing the names on checks that had been deposited into his account to those of current and former employees in an effort to cover his crimes. He is accused of spending the embezzled money on landscaping his home, travel and living expenses, and gambling.
In July 2007, an AMO payroll audit discovered the fraudulent transactions while Winn was on vacation. In addition to the more than $487,000 loss, several current and former employees had excessive funds fraudulently credited to their taxes, making them financially responsible to pay taxes for money they never received.
Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Frauds Unit is prosecuting this case.
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