Rochester, N.Y. - A Canandaigua woman in charge of payroll for her company's 100 employees is now charged with embezzling more than $2 million from her former employer, severely damaging the company's financial wellbeing.
Sarah Fantauzzi, 50, served as executive vice president of human resources at R.E.S. Exhibit Services for nearly seven years, until she resigned in June of 2019.
MORE | Woman accused of embezzling over $2M from former employer in Rochester
John Demarco, the chief legal officer at R.E.S., said the company discovered the alleged embezzlement money right before the beginning of the pandemic hit their industry hard, forcing them to lose two-third of their workforce.
Court paperwork shows the company's CEO claims Fantauzzi went onto work for a competitor in Massachusetts after she resigned from R.E.S. The company allegedly discussed her non-compete agreement regarding the new job.
In December of 2019, the CEO's deposition says a forensic audit of the company's books started after year-end tax work found Fantauzzi's income for the year was greater than it should have been.
After that audit discovered alleged payment discrepancies, R.E.S. filed a civil lawsuit against Fantauzzi in 2020, with efforts to freeze her assets and recoup some of the missing money.
"Unfortunately, as that civil process unfolded, we came to realize there was no substantial assets or bank accounts that would allow us to clock back on the money that was stolen," Demarco said. "We...
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