FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — A Newton man pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $100,000 from a Somerset County business where he worked as the controller. David Hathaway, 51, of Valleyfield Road, was charged with second-degree theft for the incidents that occurred between Dec. 13, 2007, and Dec. 12, 2008, while he worked for Toppan Printing Co., located in Franklin Township....
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — A Newton man pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $100,000 from a Somerset County business where he worked as the controller.
David Hathaway, 51, of Valleyfield Road, was charged with second-degree theft for the incidents that occurred between Dec. 13, 2007, and Dec. 12, 2008, while he worked for Toppan Printing Co., located in Franklin Township.
During a brief appearance before Superior Court Assignment Judge Yolanda Ciccone in Somerville, Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Van Hise said in exchange for his plea, the state would ask the court to sentence Hathaway as a third-degree offender and would recommend four years in state prison. Without the plea, the Sussex County man could have faced up to 10 years. He will be sentenced on Sept. 10.
Defense lawyer Drew Hurley asked Hathaway a series of questions surrounding the facts of the case, and Hathaway admitted that he set up a fake company and wrote 10 Toppan checks totaling $118,178.38.
The prosecutor’s office has said the thefts surfaced in March 2009 when Merrill Lynch, one of Toppan’s customers, noticed an accounting problem. The firm had paid $10,913.03 for work that was never done. The state’s investigation revealed that Hathaway had a fake business called ANZ Services Inc. He checks to ANZ and billed Toppan’s customers to cover his acts.
More coverage:
• Former Franklin business bookkeeper arrested for stealing over $100,000
• Newton man charged with stealing $100K from Somserset printing company
