A former executive of the North American operator of the Juan Valdez Coffee She was charged with stealing more than $900,000 from the company to inflate her salary, take expensive vacations and buy luxury items on Amazon.com, the Manhattan district attorney said Thursday.
Rosita Joseph, 51 years oldformer COO of NFCGC Investments Incallegedly made unauthorized payroll deposits of $580,000 between January 2013 and May 2018in addition to unauthorized wire transfers of more than $118,000.
The Brooklyn, New York, resident was also accused of billing more than $116,000 to a corporate card American Express for trips for her and others, including vacations to Florida, the Bahamas and Barbados, as well as spending more than $86,000 on Amazon jewelry, Gucci accessories and other items.
“We will not allow unscrupulous employees to use their companies as a personal piggy bank,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
An attorney for Joseph could not be immediately identified. Bragg’s office did not immediately return requests for comment.
Joseph was charged with one count of grand theft in the second degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
NFCGC is a unit of Procafecol SA, which was created by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The non-profit organization represents the interests of coffee growers and promotes Colombian coffee.