Former bookkeeper of Kinetic Sports Inc. in Hillsborough allegedly stole more than $200,000 from her employer.
By: Melissa Edmond
Julie A. Showers, the former bookkeeper of Kinetic Sports Inc. in Hillsborough, was charged with theft Saturday morning at the Somerset County prosecutor’s office after she allegedly stole more than $200,000 from her employer.
Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest and Hillsborough Police Chief Robert K. Gazaway said that Ms. Showers, 36, was responsible for the company’s financial affairs for almost six months last year.
Mr. Forrest said she is charged with taking 21 checks totaling $201,432.23 during her employment with Kinetic Sports from March 1 to Aug. 31. He said a review of her account showed that she withdrew the money "for personal expenses including spa treatments, handbag purchases, trips, credit card bills, and the purchase of a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix."
He said she also used the money to pay debts she accrued before filing for bankruptcy in June.
Mr. Forrest said Ms. Showers, a Brooklyn resident, left the company in August to pursue a position with the New York public schools.
Kinetic Sports, an athletic footwear supplier, operates under the name Etonic Athletic and is located on Route 206 South near Valley Road.
The company first became aware of the stolen money when it was contacted in December by a customer who said that he had paid for an order but never received the products purchased.
"A review of the customer’s payment check revealed that the check was deposited into a fake Commerce Bank business account bearing a similar name to Kinetic Sports," Mr. Forrest said, adding that Ms. Showers endorsed and deposited the check.
Mr. Forrest said the joint investigation between the county prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit and the Hillsborough Detective Bureau, which started earlier this month, revealed that Ms. Showers obtained a Morris County clerk’s office trade name certificate with a similar name to Kinetic Sports in June. He said she used the certificate to open the fraudulent bank account.
Her business account showed that she regularly transferred funds from the fake account to her personal Commerce Bank checking and savings account, he said. She closed the fraudulent business account on Sept. 29.
Mr. Forrest said detectives served Commerce Bank with a court authorized freeze order for Ms. Showers’ personal accounts, which had a combined balance of approximately $28,317.11. He said the detectives also seized her 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix, which contained $5,116 in cash.
Ms. Showers was released from the Somerset County Jail after posting a portion of her $25,000 bail in cash on Saturday, according to authorities. She was given the second-degree charge, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, and faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted.