The one-time head bookkeeper for a Glenville builder has been indicted on a total of five felonies, accusing her of multiple schemes against her employer that netted her close to $60,000, officials said.
Suzanne M. Endres, 40, of Niskayuna, appeared this morning in Schenectady County Court to be arraigned on the charges. She pleaded not guilty.
Endres faces a total of five counts, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny and two counts of first-degree falsifying business records.
Endres is accused of embezzling an estimated $60,000 from JBS, LLC, a steel fabrication company in Glenville, over a period of five years.
Prosecutor Katie McCutcheon told the court this morning that Endres is accused of taking the money in three different schemes.
As the company’s bookkeeper, she is accused of writing out checks to “cash” and then pocketing the money, resulting in her taking about $35,000, McCutcheon said.
She then tried to cover her tracks by falsifying business records, leading to those charges in the indictment. The checks were rarely for more than $1,000 and usually for a couple hundred dollars, McCutcheon said later.
Police have said, though, that one check, written just before the scheme was discovered, was for just under $3,000.
Endres is also accused of diverting money to her retirement account, money that was supposed to be deducted from her personal paycheck. Instead, she sent the money to her retirement account, but never deducted the corresponding amount from her pay. That resulted in her pocketing an extra $23,000, prosecutors allege.
Endres then also gave herself paycheck advances, then still accepted her regular paycheck. That scheme netted her about $2,000, McCutcheon said.
Endres has been released on her own recognizance since her December arrest. Acting Schenectady County Court Judge Richard Giardino allowed her to remain free, but, with the new indictment, ordered that her release now be supervised by the probation department.
Endres appeared in court this morning with her attorney, Steve Kouray. In the gallery were about a dozen supporters.
Endres was arrested in December after the owner of JBS became suspicious of Endres, who had worked at the company since 1995.
The owner, John Busino, contacted his accountant with a booking question, as Endres was on vacation. When the accountant looked, though, he found discrepancies that led to an investigation and Endres’ arrest.
As office manager and head bookkeeper, she was the only employee with access to the books, police have said.
She was fired in August after the missing money was discovered, then the findings were turned over to police. Among the findings were alterations where payments were scratched out and changed to different numbers.
Glenville Police Detective Michael Lamb made the arrest.
After Endres’ arrest, Busino said that business had already been slow due to the economy. The thefts, though, put the company’s 16 employees further at risk. Busino also said changes were expected to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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