A woman was fired after her employer said she stole more than $600,000 from the company, Alpharetta police said.
Leslie Blakeney was terminated from New Signature, which has offices in Alpharetta and other cities, Channel 2 Action News reported.
"It's something that happens, but it's disappointing,” said Alison Garback, chief marketing officer for New Signature, which does consulting for Microsoft.
The matter came to light in March, when a company official contacted police and said Blakeney was terminated due to files being deleted from a subordinate’s computer, according to a police report.
After an analysis of company accounts, “it was found this employee had taken and used company funds for personal purchases and purposes between November 20, 2015 and February 9, 2017,” police said in the report.
The company official, Patrick Pacquette, told police in June that New Signature wanted to pursue prosecution for “the theft of $635,788.59 from company resources and accounts.”
Blakeney was arrested Nov. 20 and charged with computer theft, according to Fulton County jail records. She was released the next day on $150,000 bond.
Neither Blakeney, a Cherokee County resident, nor her attorney could be reached by the news station for comment.
Garback said the incident affected New Signature.
“We’re a healthy, thriving business,” she told Channel 2, “but it’s very disappointing that someone we put our trust in acted in this manner.”
The police report said Blakeney is a teacher at Cherokee Christian School in Woodstock. The school didn’t respond to Channel 2’s request for comment.
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