Man accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from Ann Arbor business
A former employee of Kramer-Triad Management Group in Ann Arbor is accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from the company, Ann Arbor police said.
Robert Leslie Rutter, 42, of Gregory is charged with four counts of embezzling $20,000 or more and three counts each of uttering and publishing and forgery.
Police spokeswoman Lt. Renee Bush said Rutter worked for the company as the rental manager for Tower Plaza on East William Street. In that position, he was responsible for collecting rent, keeping track of financial documents and taking care of maintenance issues, she said.
Bush said Rutter wrote checks, forged signatures, cashed them and kept the money for himself. For instance, she said he wrote a check to a renter who was owed a security deposit, then forged the signature and kept the money.
Rutter allegedly stole the money from 2006 to 2010, Bush said. A company official found that the money was missing after reviewing financial records in January 2011, Bush said.
Rutter is out on a promise to appear in court after being arraigned Jan. 13 at the Washtenaw County service center in front of Magistrate M. Colleen Currie.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Comments
russellr
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 7:56 p.m.
For crying out loud, where are the checks and balances? I can't believe all the embezzling going on. People is you own a business check out what they are doing with your money!!!
Trouble
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 3:45 p.m.
" Crime Pays! "
Gorc
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.
Rob a bank teller for a few hundred dollars, get caught and you're doing definite jail time. Utter and publish checks worth tens of thousands of dollars and you probable won't do anytime. How about that for risk vs. reward.
Gorc
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 12:45 p.m.
Justcurious - her sentencing was the exception, not the rule.
AfterDark
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 6:19 a.m.
Robbing a bank teller (or anyone) implies or includes a threat of violence. Embezzlement does not. Embezzlement is purely monetary and the perps aren't considered a violent threat to the community.
justcurious
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 1:40 a.m.
The young woman with 3 kids just got 16 years for stealing. Sad.
Opinionated
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 7:11 p.m.
My brother-in-law embezzeler was so good he couldn't tell his own signature from the ones she signed. She made off with over $20,000 from his plumbing business. She was taking friends and family out to eat and buying gifts. They never got any of the money back and she spent zero time in jail even though she was found guilty. They said they didn't have room in the jail for this type of crime. Go figure.
justcurious
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 1:37 a.m.
Following embezzler stories on this site has shown be that your case is the norm. These people get off easy every time. We all pay though in the end, though they don't. Sometimes they just go on to write bad checks.
xmo
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
Sounds like the Kramer-Triad Management Group has some problems besides Robert Leslie Rutter.
Dorchester
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.
I didn't know "uttering and publishing" were crimes. Forgery an d embezzlement yes ... Uttering?
DennisP
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 9:16 p.m.
That's the legal term for a type of forgery (e.g. forging a check).
RJA
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
This is sad, 4 years pass before he is caught. He is out on a promise to appear next nonth? Perhaps it is just me, but I don't get it!
rs
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 5:24 p.m.
The company appears to be lacking serious internal auditing controls if an employee can allegedly embezzle more than $100k over 4 years.
justcurious
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 5:19 p.m.
"For instance, she said he wrote a check to a renter who was owed a security deposit, then forged the signature and kept the money." So, perhaps, when the renter didn't get the security deposit back they called the "manager/chief cook and bottle washer" to complain. The manager probably said " I guess it got lost in the mail", or "I show that you cashed that check"? And that is as far as it would go? Where was the accounting firm who takes care of the business all of those years? It will be interested to see what punishment this alleged embezzler gets in the end if he is convicted.
Gorc
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 : 12:38 a.m.
He'll get a slap on the hand and have to pay restitution.
javajolt1
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 : 5:09 p.m.
Business controls are essential. Nobody should be able to steal for this long if another party at that business is paying attention to the smallest of controls - reviewing monthly bank statements and check copies online. In a bit of as paradox, while the internet makes it easier to steal, it also makes it a lot easier to catch someone.....that is if anyone is paying attention.