New Bedford Man Convicted of Theft From His Local Employer
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
July 3, 2019
A 41-year-old New Bedford man who stole more than $150,000 from his employer over the course of five years was convicted by a jury on Friday after a three-day trial in Fall River River Superior Court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Kenny Alvarado was convicted of a single count of Larceny Over $250 By Single Scheme and was sentenced by Judge Gregg Pasquale to a two-year house of corrections sentence, with one year to serve. The balance of the jail sentence was suspended for 10 years, meaning if the defendant is charged with a new crime during the next decade, he could be sentenced to serve an additional year behind bars on this case prior to any new sentence imposed.
The defendant was first hired by the owners of Original Bob’s Discount, a local furniture store in New Bedford, in 2008. He was first hired as a sales associate before being promoted to assistant manager. During his time as assistant manager, several senior people at the New Bedford location took ill and the Defendant was increasingly relied up.
In July 2013, the business began receiving calls from customers about purchases they had made, but the store owners could not locate any paperwork documenting the sales. This began occurring somewhat regularly, and ultimately the business began to suspect employee theft. While the business accepted both cash and credit, many transactions were completed in cash. During this time period, the business was not computerized and relied on paper slips and receipts. The defendant had knowledge of the furniture slip system, the cashier system, and the furniture delivery system.
A constable was hired by the owners to internally investigate the matter further. After examining the internal paperwork and absence thereof, the constable began to suspect the defendant. On August 2, 2013, the Defendant was interviewed by the constable, at which time he confessed to stealing approximately 120 times from the company, totaling a loss of more than $150,000 to the company. The theft was then reported to New Bedford Police and the defendant was arrested.
The defendant’s scheme centered around offering customers an employee discount if they paid in cash. The defendant would then pocket the cash and never document the sale.
A civil restitution hearing has been scheduled to July 23.
The trial was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patrick Driscoll, who recommended a one to three year state prison sentence.
“I am very pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for stealing a significant amount of money,” District Attorney Quinn said. “He violated the trust placed in him by the owners as an assistant manager of the store. This was a family owned business that was significantly impacted by the defendant stealing.”
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576–cell