Employee of area company charged with allegedly embezzling over $4,600
An employee of an area window installation company was arrested Friday morning on felony warrants stemming from allegations he embezzled over $4,600 from the company earlier this year.
Christopher Eric Jaeger, 49, who lists a Mountain Pine Road address, was taken into custody around 8:30 a.m. and charged with felony counts of unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, computer fraud and theft of property, each punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of falsifying business records, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Jaeger was later released on an $11,000 bond and is set to appear on Oct. 18 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 16, a representative of Wintek Inc. filed a report with the Garland County Sheriff’s Office regarding the embezzlement of funds and falsifying of records by an employee, identified as Jaeger.
The representative presented bank records that reportedly showed Jaeger, while an employee of Wintek, used the company computer and “his knowledge of their accounting systems,” to place six unauthorized transfers of funds to his personal bank account for a total of $4,646.98.
The transactions allegedly took place between April 1 and May 19, 2021. In two of the transactions, Jaeger reportedly changed the payee name in the accounting system to other vendors’ names “to conceal the theft.” The other transactions were in Jaeger’s name. Each of the transfers was deposited in Jaeger’s bank account in Hot Springs.
The affidavit notes Jaeger was terminated from Wintek and during his exit interview he reportedly admitted to the theft of funds, with the interview video and audio recorded.
On Friday, Jaeger was interviewed at the sheriff’s office by Investigator Don Yoak after being read his rights and again reportedly admitted he used the company computer to transfer funds and steal money from Wintek.
He reportedly told Yoak he “wanted to pay the money back to Wintek.”