Worker’s fraud destroyed firm Part-time office administrator stole £100k from business
AMUM-OF-THREE forced a Birmingham firm into liquidation by stealing almost £100,000 from its accounts in just 15 months – including while on holiday abroad.
Office administrator Natalie Akinola, 32, plundered cash from the company whilst in Ibiza and even stole wedding gift money meant to help pay staff wages.
The part-time employee, from Owens Croft, Kings Norton, admitted stealing £97,198 from ESS Birmingham Ltd when she appeared at city magistrates.
Her victims said she began stealing cash within just two days of being authorised to make payments on behalf of the Saltleybased ESS firm in May 2015.
She was caught last August after bosses received a County Court Judgement (CCJ) for a bill she should have paid.
Incredibly, Akinola, who dealt with the firm’s accounts, invoices and payments, offered to lend them £1,000 to pay the CCJ from the money she had already sto- len. The business was forced into liquidation two weeks ago, with the loss of six jobs.
Russ Blackburn, 44, and from Maypole, set up the company 12 years ago and said the firm had been left with £70,000 of debts, including an unpaid tax bill of £37,000.
Speaking after the guilty plea was entered, the devastated businessman said he and wife Lyn had since discovered Akinola had diverted cash into her own bank account 93 times.
He said he is still liable for some of the company debts, that were personally guaranteed, and his wife quit her job last September in a bid to save the business, but it was forced to close.
Akinola had even attended Lyn’s hen party whilst stealing from the business. She was known to the couple as their children attended the same school.
Lyn, 45, said: “She wasn’t just an employee, I thought she was my friend. She started in May 2015 and we have since discovered that within two days of receiving authorisation to make payments on behalf of the business she had stolen £500.
“The biggest payment was £6,500 that she paid to herself when she was off work for two weeks, because her childminder was on holiday. She went on holiday herself to Ibiza and even logged in to steal £1,000 whilst she was away.”
Mr Blackburn said he still has no idea if or how the money has been spent. He added: “To be honest I’d rather see the money recovered than a prison sentence.
“We got married in April. We put £1,000 we had been given as gifts into the business to help pay wages. She knew about that money and as soon as it hit the account she took it.
“When we found out about the CCJ she loaned me £1,000, but we later found out she was responsible for the CCJ because she had not paid the bills. And on top of that the money she was lending us was taken from the business in the first place.”
The couple said the impact of the theft had reached far beyond their own family. Mr Blackburn added: “Suppliers have been owed money and staff have lost jobs. But none of us wanted to sit in a court and watch her family suffer. She has three lovely kids and they are going to suffer now, too.”
Magistrates sent the case to Birmingham Crown Court in order for Akinola to face sentencing later this month. Akinola also now faces proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Lyn Blackburn