Minnesota Woman Busted for Embezzlement

Date: February 15, 2010

Willmar, MN -- Greed begets stupidity. According the to the West Central Tribune of Willmar, Minnesota, an Office Max employee, Kelly Marie Lipinski, has been arrested in connection with false ink cartridge returns to her store. Between July 2008 and August 2009, she is reported to have stolen almost $5800.

The larger than normal amounts of ink returns were noticed by Office Max’s loss prevention personnel and they contacted local authorities in September. The returns were logged by Lipinski as cash refunds. Most of the cash refunds were for ink cartridges which Office Max typically does not re-inventory because they generally come back with the containers open. The loss prevention personnel had followed up with a customer who had supposedly made a return, but told officials that that was not true. Allegedly, Lipinski admitted to the false returns, then pocketing the cash at the end of her shift when asked by officials.

According to Lipinski in a written admission, she took $3,682.04 on 44 returns this year, and about $4,800 last year. When interviewed by police, she said that she had looked up the electronic receipts in the store computer, selected the cash ones, and pocketed the money.

BY ADAM HAIGH, Editor