Police: Employee stole $200K from Honda dealer
ALBANY, Ore. -- The former service manager of a Honda dealer faces charges alleging he stole $200,000 from his employer before being fired.
Police in Albany, Ore., arrested Patrick Martin Luther Smith, 40, of Salem, Ore., after a three-month investigation. Detectives started investigating Smith after the owner of Bill Rogers Honda told police he had fired Smith after noticing an unusually high balance on a company credit card that usually maintains a low balance.
Investigators believe Smith unlawfully appropriated over $200,000 of money from Bill Rogers Honda and converted it to his personal use by misusing a company credit card and bank account, as well as opening up a new credit card under the name of Bill Rogers. Detectives think Smith was able to hide his fraudulent activity for nearly a year by falsifying business records.
Police arrested Smith without incident in the 300 block of Church Street in Salem. He was lodged in the Linn County Jail on suspicion of:
- Aggravated Theft in the First Degree
- Computer Crime (2 counts)
- Identity Theft
- Aggravated Identity Theft
- Theft in the First Degree
- Falsifying Business Records
- Unlawful Possession of Cocaine
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or Patrick Smith is asked to call Albany Police Detectives at (541) 917-7686.
