Personal Assistant convicted of £4.3m bank fraud

[muriel_volestrangler]

just in time for "Administrative Professionals Day" in the USA tomorrow...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3564533.stm

A personal assistant has been convicted of plundering millions of pounds from her bosses in a City bank.
...
But, aided by her mother and husband who laundered the cash, De-Laurey forged cheques and switched the money into her own accounts.
...
The secretary claimed she was allowed by her bosses to take the money for her "indispensable services" such as covering up for one banker's extra-marital affair.
...
Her downfall only came when Mr Mead was examining his bank accounts himself with a view to making a donation to his former college in May 2002.

It's quite frightening the bosses had so much money that it took them taht long to realise it was missing.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

1. The story clearly gave Jon Snow a smile:

Joyful Joyti! Well perhaps quite not so joyful because she has actually been found guilty, but boy what a tale! I mean here are these city fat-cats sitting on a great pile of money and along comes this character hired to provide the usual lowly-paid secretarial services and she suddenly realises that they've got so much of the stuff that they won't notice if she siphons off the odd threepenny bit.

The trouble was joyful Joyti started taking just a little bit more that a threepenny bit. I mean hell it only started with a Golf, a Range Rover, and as yet undelivered Aston Martin. I guess it was that vast residence in northern Cyprus that began to rack up the millions. For millions it was, at least four of them. One of them is still missing. Oh and of course there were the bits of jewellry from some West End supplier of great note.

It wasn't until she said she was about to leave for northern Cyprus to work for the Archbishop of Nicosia (non-existent) and one of the banking boys found he couldn't make a generous charitable donation to the University of Harvard, that he came to check his account and found a whole series of payments to Joyti accounts all over the world.

Eighteen months of spending coupled with (what she said in court was) a bit of covering up for the odd affair that one of her employers indulged in, eighteen months of devoted secretarial service and what does she get? A complaint from these guys that she's been nicking their money. Not a bit of it she says, they expected me to do it. Alas it all came tumbling down at the Old Bailey today when Joyful Joyti's joy turned to sorrow and an extended rest from her exhausting expenditure at her majesty's pleasure. Katie Razzall is on this bizarre case of greed on greed at 7. More at:

http://www.channel4.com/news/2004/04/week_3/20_joyti.html

[BostonTeaParty04]

2. That's the problem with embezzlement.....

You can't really get away from the scene of the crime (you have to guard it and keep it hidden). So you are a prisoner to your crimes!