Man to serve 5 years for helping girlfriend steal $800K
Prosecutors said he helped his girlfriend steal more than $800,000 from her employer. Now, he’s headed to prison, the Cobb County District Attorney announced Friday.
Robert Gustavus Whaley, 44, of Dallas, was convicted Thursday of two counts of racketeering for his role in the crime.
“His girlfriend, lover, and at times, fiancée, told him to open a bank account, and he did,” John Melvin, deputy chief assistant DA, said in an emailed statement. “Between 2005 and 2012, Sharron Rice was a trusted bookkeeper at D.E.L. Corporation, which manages apartment communities. She used her position to cut checks to a fake vendor, and deposited in excess of $50,000 to the account opened by Mr. Whaley.”
The couple, Melvin said, spent the stolen money or forwarded it to another joint account. Whaley used some of the money to pay his bills, according to prosecutors.
During the time the two were stealing money, Whaley was on probation after pleading guilty to stealing computers from WellStar Health System, where he worked as a consultant, Cobb DA Vic Reynolds said.
In June, Rice was convicted and sentenced to 30 years with eight to serve. Whaley was sentenced to 20 years, with five years to serve in prison and the rest on probation. Both were ordered to pay $803,000 each in restitution.
