A woman and her husband stole $200,000 in goods and services from her former employer, a Syosset online retailer, according to acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.
Singas announced the arrest of an Oceanside couple Ilana Kessler, 29, and Drew Reminick, 29, on charges of grand larceny for participating in a scheme to steal thousands in merchandise and shipping costs and selling the company’s goods and services on eBay.
If convicted of the top charge, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
“Retailers rely on their employees to be honest ambassadors of their company to the customers that keep them in business,” said Singas. “When employees attempt to capitalize on that relationship for their own personal gain, everyone – including customers, fellow employees and business owners—is hurt by their criminal conduct.”
Singas said that ArmorMount LLC, an online store located in Syosset selling flat panel television wall mounts, employed Kessler in a contracted sales management capacity. From 2012 to 2014, with the assistance of her husband, Reminick, Kessler allegedly stole merchandise from her employer during the course of her employment. The couple would then sell the stolen items through multiple methods, including on eBay.
After discovering a series of illegitimate transactions and thefts, ArmorMount filed a complaint to the DA office’s Criminal Complaint Unit.
The DA office’s subsequent investigation showed that a substantial amount of transactions were fulfilled using merchandise stolen from ArmorMount, for which the retailer was also billed for shipping, resulting in more than $200,000 in losses.
Kessler and Reminick were both arrested March 24 and were arrainged on charges of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud.
