Perryville woman charged with stealing $25,000 from employer

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- An investigation by the Perryville Police Department recently led to the arrest of a former Bening Ford employee police allege embezzled about $25,000 from the company's payroll accounts.

Charged at the end of January with 32 felony counts of stealing and one misdemeanor count of stealing, Leslie M. French will appear before a Perry County judge April 12 for a preliminary hearing. French has posted a $25,000 cash-only bond.

French is accused of issuing herself 30 checks after showing them voided in Bening's payroll system. The average check amount was $610, according to documents filed with the court. The documents allege French made checks payable to herself in each month of 2010 except February.

In a probable-cause affidavit filed with the court by Lt. Direk Hunt, French is also accused of making three wire transfers to the IRS to pay her taxes with stolen funds. In August, French allegedly transferred $1,875 to her own account and then made a transfer to the IRS. In October she allegedly made a transfer of $2,050 and in November, $2,800.

Chad Strattman, Bening's general manager, first contacted police Jan. 18 about the fraud, according to Hunt's affidavit. Hunt said Strattman and his accountant, Scott Hotop, confronted French after discovering the fraud and she admitted to the allegations. Strattman fired French after her admissions, according to

Hunt.

Strattman had additional "test conversations" with French after her termination, Hunt wrote in his affidavit, when she stated she wanted to begin paying the money back to the company.

Strattman denied to comment on the incident Wednesday afternoon. French's counsel, Travis L. Noble, of Clayton, Mo., was unavailable to comment Wednesday.

Perryville police chief Keith Tarrillion said the U.S. Secret Service helped them investigate French and the alleged crime. A lot of time went into the investigation, which is still ongoing, he

added.

He wouldn't say whether there would be additional charges against French.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

909 S. Perryville Blvd., Perryville, MO