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Karen O’Brien of South Church Road in Maple Shade was charged with theft by unlawful taking and computed related activity for the purpose of executing a scheme to defraud, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Cinnaminson Township Police Chief Richard A. Calabrese.
O'Brien is accused of stealing from SEA BOX Inc., an international manufacturer based in Cinnaminson, for about a year ending in December 2020.
She was arrested on Wednesday after a motor vehicle stop in Gloucester City, Camden County, according to Coffina and Calabrese. In her possession when taken into custody was approximately $30,000 in cash, they said.
O’Brien, who was fired by the company, remains in custody pending a hearing in Superior Court.
The investigation began after SEA BOX officials informed the Cinnaminson Township Police Department late last year that O’Brien had been caught embezzling funds, Coffina said. The investigation found that over a 12-month period, O’Brien, who served as human resources manager, had used the company’s credit card for personal expenses totaling $614,499, the prosecutor said.
The investigation found that O’Brien made several purchases of designer clothes, handbags, and other accessories from luxury stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. The ex-HR boss also used the company credit card to purchase airfare, rental cars and lodging accommodations for her and others to vacation in Puerto Rico, and even used it to pay for herself and a friend to undergo buttock augmentation procedures at a Las Vegas plastic surgery center, according to Coffina and Calabrese.
Cinnaminson Township Police Department investigated. Assistant Prosecutor Michael Sullivan is handling the case.
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