Roseville man accused of embezzling $750K from grocery store

A Roseville man who worked as a manager at a Troy grocery store has been accused of embezzling $750,000 from the store through the self-checkout kiosks, according to state officials.

A warrant, which was signed Tuesday by Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig, charges Trevor Beaver, 31, with embezzlement over $100,000 and using a computer to commit a crime for the theft that allegedly occurred from July 2022 through last November at Fresh Thyme Market at Big Beaver Road and Stephenson Highway in Troy. Each of the charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The case was uncovered by the state Attorney General’s “FORCE Team” and the Organized Retail Crime Unit, which were established in January to target criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell, said Attorney General Dana Nessel in a press release.

Beaver stole the money from newly installed self-checkout kiosks, which he had access to as the manager, according to state officials. After an audit of the self-checkout machines was conducted in October of 2023, Fresh Thyme accountants noticed a large amount of money missing. An audit revealed a shortage of about $900,000, with approximately $750,000 of the loss due to Beaver’s thievery, officials said.

It is alleged Beaver often scheduled himself as the only manager responsible for depositing the daily cash, including on his days off, officials said.

When confronted by management, loss prevention, and the Michigan State Police, Beaver admitted to embezzling the money, officials said.

“Retail theft doesn’t just impact Michigan businesses, but it hurts consumers when the retailer must raise prices to compensate for lost revenue,” Nessel said in the release. “Businesses of all sizes should be enforcing even the most basic mechanisms for loss prevention. All stores that lack similar protections should heed this warning to protect themselves from falling victim next.”