posted 04-06-2007 10:44 PM                       

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A former manager for Century Theatres in San Rafael was arraigned Thursday on charges he embezzled nearly $116,000 that was supposed to be given to management trainees for per diem expenses, authorities said.

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Former Theatre Manager Charged with Embezzling nearly $116,000

I somehow doubt that he did much to support Film Done Right.

posted 04-07-2007 12:39 AM                    

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Former theater manager charged with embezzling nearly $116,000

Gary Klien
Article Launched: 04/05/2007 11:32:15 PM PDT

A former manager for Century Theatres in San Rafael was arraigned Thursday on charges he embezzled nearly $116,000 that was supposed to be given to management trainees for per diem expenses, authorities said.

Christopher O'Kelley, a 35-year-old Napa resident, is accused of stealing the money from September 2002 through April 2005, when he was in charge of the movie house chain's training program for general managers, according to court documents.

Management trainees in the program were often relocated to different areas to learn new job functions. During these relocations, O'Kelley was supposed to pay the trainees a weekly per diem of $175 for food, plus reimbursements for some out-of-pocket expenses.

O'Kelley kept a "large sum" of petty cash in his office at Century's San Rafael headquarters to pay the trainees' expenses, police said. The trainees submitted receipts to O'Kelley for reimbursement.

Officials at Century Theatres contacted the San Rafael Police Department in May 2005 after conducting an internal audit of the management training program. According to a court affidavit, Century officials said they discovered that O'Kelley had been skimming money for years by several means, including:

- Charging Century for the trainees' food allowances but giving the trainees less than the full amount they were entitled to.

- Submitting false per diem reimbursements for money that had not been paid to the trainees.

- Submitting reimbursement statements for nonexistent expenses.

- Cashing reimbursement checks that were intended for trainees and keeping some or all of the money;

- Submitting duplicate reimbursement reports for the same items;

- Filing reimbursement reports for employees who were not in the training program.

Trainees told Century investigators they were afraid to question O'Kelley about the money they were owed because he was their boss.

After interviews with Century officials and trainees, police interviewed O'Kelley last year at the San Rafael Police Department. O'Kelley admitted he "mishandled" company funds but said he thought the amount was less than $10,000, according to an affidavit filed by Deputy District Attorney Linda Witong.

Century calculated the suspected losses to be $115,974.36.

O'Kelley told police he needed money because he had bought a third residence in Napa and his finances were tight, Witong said. O'Kelley also said he had stocked and opened a sports memorabilia store, but the business failed.

In October 2006, San Rafael police referred the case to the Marin County district attorney's office for prosecution. The district attorney's office filed an embezzlement charge on Oct. 31, but O'Kelley failed to appear for an arraignment. Authorities obtained an arrest warrant, and O'Kelley was taken into custody on Saturday.

O'Kelley, contacted at the Marin County Jail on Thursday night, declined to comment on the case. He was scheduled to enter a plea Friday in Marin Superior Court.

His bail is set at $115,000.

Century Theatres was sold last summer to Cinemark USA, a movie theater chain based in Plano, Texas.

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posted 04-13-2007 01:15 AM                    

quote: Scott D. Neff

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A lot of people think you're just out to get them in trouble.

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posted 04-13-2007 03:08 AM                 

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So, when you come right down to it, for every dollar the company loses to theft, TEN dollars come out of your paycheck!

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