A former employee of a Burlington business has been charged with stealing more than $8,000 from the owner of the company through fraudulent product orders and credit card transactions.
Ted D. Kilpin, 59, of East Troy, made his initial appearance Feb. 27 in Racine County Circuit Court on charges of theft in a business setting with a value of $5,000 to $10,000.
A court commissioner set a $5,000 signature bond and ordered Kilpin to have no contact with the owner of the business while the case is pending.
According to the criminal complaint, the owner of Parts and Smarts, 572. N. Pine Street, contacted police Jan. 25 with his suspicions that Kilpin had been stealing from his company.
The owner told police that Kilpin handled the company’s sale of refurbished electronic components on eBay and would later transfer the proceeds from sales to the owner’s account. After noticing a decline in online sales the owner requested account information from Kilpin but he refused to provide it, the complaint alleges.
The owner also told investigators he received a phone call from a customer who said a part he purchased for $235 from the company was not working. The customer told the owner the purchase was made directly from Kilpin who told him he was “doing business on behalf of the company,” according to the complaint. The box the part was shipped in included Kilpin’s personal address as the return address.
An investigator with the City of Burlington Police Department noted additional fraudulent transactions totaling $4,903, the complaint contends.
The owner also told police Kilpin used the company’s credit card to make unauthorized purchases.
The owner told police he confronted Kilpin, who then offered to repay $2,000 for the unauthorized purchases, according to the complaint. The owner hired a private investigator, who allegedly discovered that Kilpin made thousands of dollars of unauthorized purchases between December 2012 and October 2016.
A police investigator spoke with Kilpin, who initially denied stealing from the owner. However, according to the complaint, Kilpin eventually admitted to taking money from the owner and stated he wanted to “make it right.”
Kilpin allegedly said he wants to figure out how much he owes the owner, but admitted to $8,259 in unauthorized transactions.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled from March 25 in Racine County Circuit Court.
For more court news see the March 5 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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