California Man Accused Of Embezzling $1.2M From His Employer

BOSTON (AP) — A California man charged with embezzling more than $1.2 million from his Massachusetts-based employer over a 16-year period has agreed to plead guilty, federal prosecutors said.

Darrell Pike, 56, of Hesperia, California, embezzled the money from 2005 until 2021 while working as general manager of the California subsidiary of a Wilmington-based supply and service company, federal prosecutors in Boston said Monday.

He did so by submitting fraudulent invoices to his employer on behalf of a fake temporary staffing company for staffing services purportedly provided at the California location, adding the approving initials of company personnel to the invoices without their knowledge or consent, prosecutors alleged. The money was deposited into a bank account he controlled.

"Mr. Pike admitted his wrongdoing when he was initially confronted by his employer, and he did so again when subsequently questioned by the FBI," his attorney, Brian Gurwitz, said in a statement. "He deeply regrets hurting the colleagues who trusted him during his career, and the pain this revelation has caused to his family."

Pike agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud. A date for the plea hearing has not been scheduled.