Trio allegedly stole around $170,000.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: An Indian-origin accountant living in Garfield, New Jersey, Sanjay Damodar, 30, is among three individuals who allegedly swindled high-end retailer Henry Bendel, famous for its handbags, of around $170,000.
The New York Post reported that two of the accused, also accountants, and who were superiors of Damodar at the Henry Bendel flagship store in Manhattan, were upset with the company, according to papers released last week in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Henri Bendel, which also sells jewelry, perfume and fashion accessories, has two New Jersey locations — in the Short Hills Mall and in Cherry Hill.
Kelly Rogel, 32, a former account manager who now works as the director of finance at upscale men’s haberdashery Thomas Pink, and her former colleague Brandon Detvo, 39, a former manager of financial planning, allegedly hatched the scheme.
“Brandon Detvo and I were both unhappy, bitter and angry towards Henri Bendel,” Rogel told investigators January 9, according to court papers. “We all agreed to do it and we were just seeing the money.”
Detvo, 39, and Rogel allegedly diverted more than $168,000 from Henri Bendel’s bank account into a bogus company they created called AIM Financial from April 2013 to February 2014, court papers state, reported the Post.
They enlisted the help of Damodar, who approved payments to the fake company and got $20,000 as a kickback, court papers state.
Damodar, who now works for high-end jewelry store David Yurmin, denied he knew anything about the embezzled funds when he spoke to authorities Jan 5. “I knew checks were being cut to AIM Financial but I didn’t know it was stolen money,” Damodar said, according to court papers.
“Brandon Detvo suggested we issue checks and take money,” Damodar said. “I told him ‘Let’s do it,’ but I was joking. That conversation happened after Brandon Detvo’s employee review and he was not happy about his review.”
He claimed Detvo gave him two checks totaling $13,000 to buy David Yurmin jewelry using his employee discount, court papers say. Damodar, however, didn’t have an explanation for the remaining $7,000 he received from Detvo.
Damodar’s defense lawyer Todd Spodek,Spodek emailed NJ Advance Media a statement asserting his client was following orders and wasn’t aware money was stolen.
“The evidence will show that Mr. Detvo and Ms. Rogel were my client’s direct supervisors, and every action he took was at their behest. There is no evidence that my client had knowledge that the funds were illegally obtained,” Spodek wrote.
The trio surrendered to the DA’s Office and pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on grand larceny and other raps.
“The threat by insiders is pervasive and affects every industry, from fashion to finance,” said District Attorney Cy Vance, in a statement. “As New York Fashion Week draws to a close, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to our city, this case serves as a reminder of the importance of conducting proper due diligence in every industry.”