An Alsip woman has been charged with embezzling at least $42,600 this year from a Tinley Park company where she was employed as an accountant, police reported.
Brittany Hayden, 26, of the 4800 block of Engle Road, is charged with forgery and theft. She is free on $50,000 bail, and her next court date is Aug. 12.
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Hayden was arrested July 14 after she allegedly admitted making checks out to herself from the corporate account at Mack Companies, 6820 Centennial Drive, a construction and development company.
Police said Hayden used a company stamp bearing the owner’s signature to validate the checks, which she cashed at currency exchanges.
A high-level company employee contacted police after noticing a significant accounting discrepancy that included 24 checks to Hayden totaling $39,939 during a three-month period beginning in April, according to police.
They said Hayden was arrested after she admitted to the scheme during preliminary questioning, saying, “I made the checks payable to myself and I cashed them.”
A subsequent search of Hayden’s purse produced four company checks worth more than $5,500 and two company check stubs worth more than $2,500, police reported.
Hayden also admitted electronically transferring funds to a personal account, which she used to make $2,700 in purchases, according to police.
Hayden was a staff accountant at the firm since July 2014, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter.