YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - He stole more than $80,000 from his friends and employer, now a Poland bookkeeper is going to jail and ordered to repay the money.
Fifty-one-year old Thomas Morris was the bookkeeper for Tri T&J, a real estate investment company.
In 2012 he was indicted on charges of stealing more than $84,000 from the firm dating back to January of 2010.
Todd Bury, a partner in the company, told the court that when an audit discovered the missing funds, Morris said he was sorry and asked that he be allowed to pay the money back.
"We could believe he was really sorry if he stole from us once or twice, but the facts are he stole from us more than 113 times over a two year period," Bury said.
The audit revealed that Morris had written checks to pay for such things as landscaping at his home, kitchen appliances and holiday parties.
His attorney says Morris started taking the money after his wife lost her high-paying job and went on disability. But Bury said Morris is not the victim.
"We are the victims of deceit, calculated deceit, calculated fraud, calculated crimes, we the victims of a con man" Bury said in court.
Prior to learning his sentence, Morris apologized to his friends and former employer. "I take responsibility for my actions. I made some very bad decisions during a very bad time in my life," Morris said.
Judge James Evans sentenced Morris to one year probation, starting with 30 days in the county jail, followed by 90 days of house arrest and he was ordered to pay full restitution to the company.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WFMJ. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms
