A bookkeeper was sentenced to prison for 18 to 54 months on Oct. 25 for embezzling more than $250,000 from Prospero Equipment Corp. in Pleasantville.
Erika Flores, 47, of Ossining, worked for Prospero as an accounting clerk for 10 years and handled credit card payments.
From 2012 to 2016, she used two company credit cards for personal expenses, such as clothing, food and travel. She stole $251,438, according to Westchester District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr.
Flores created false records to conceal her transactions, the district attorney said in a news release, and she made sure there were sufficient funds to cover her charges by paying the credit card debts with corporate checks.
Flores was arrested in June and pleaded guilty to grand larceny.
A judge also ordered her to pay back the stolen funds.
Antonio Prospero founded the company in 1970 to sell home winemaking equipment. Now it sells winery, brewery, distilling and beverage equipment to manufacturers nationwide. It has offices in Geneva, New York, Windsor, California, McMinnville, Oregon and Montreal, Quebec.
The thefts were investigated by Sgt. Arthur T. Romaine and Detective Matthew F. Brown of the Mount Pleasant Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Nicole Gamble, an assistant district attorney in the economic crimes bureau.
