Former MotorWorld employee embezzled $130,000

Authorities: Former MotorWorld employee embezzled $130,000
By Denise Allabaugh (Staff Writer)

A former employee of MotorWorld Auto Group in Plains Township was charged Wednesday with embezzling $130,866, which she said she took as a result of a gambling addiction and credit card debt.

Denise Zbierski, 35, of Cleveland Street in the Hudson section of Plains Township, was arraigned Wednesday morning before Magisterial District Judge Martin Kane in Wilkes-Barre on charges of theft by deception and tampering with records or identification.

According to the police criminal complaint, officers were dispatched to MotorWorld for a reported theft. They spoke to company controller William Durkin, who said he discovered an employee embezzling from the company during the 2011 audit.

He discovered Zbierski, the payroll administrator, was the fifth highest paid employee for 2011.

Believing it was a clerical error, he brought it to her attention on Jan. 18. She broke down in the office when confronted and admitted to the theft, saying she took the money because of a gambling addiction and credit card debt. She also signed a letter summarizing their meeting.

According to police, Zbierski added an unauthorized $3,954 to her checks in 2010. In 2011, she added: $500 in January, $2,100 in February, $1,228 in March, $5,980 in April, $5,460 in May, $4,160 in June, $11,908 in July, $15,340 in August, $18,200 in September, $20,280 in October, $19,500 in November and $23,504 in December.

Durkin said Zbierski had control over the payroll computer program, payroll reports and pay stubs for all company employees. He said she had been altering the weekly pay register to avoid detection. In one payroll register where she altered her salary, her income was listed as $31,809 when the actual amount was closer to $155,051.69. As a result, Durkin told police nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. He said she was in a position of trust and was able to manipulate the financial information to her benefit.

Police said Zbierski voluntarily came to police headquarters for an interview Feb. 2 with her attorneys, Ann H. Lokuta and C. David Pedri, and admitted to the theft.

She said no other people were involved or had knowledge of the thefts that she committed while using her computer terminal in her office. She said she began adding vacation hours to her paycheck and she used the extra money to feed her gambling addiction. She also admitted to altering the year-to-date download and said she cut and pasted her salary amount to $31,809.39 to deceive management.

Zbierski, who has no prior criminal record, was fired from her job in January after the theft was discovered, said Wilkes-Barre Detective David Sobocinski. MotorWorld President Gerry O'Donnell declined comment.

She was released Wednesday on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 29 at 9 a.m. in Luzerne County Central Court in Wilkes-Barre.



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