DUMMERSTON -- A local woman who allegedly stole merchandise from her employer and attempted to sell it on the online auction website eBay has been cited to appear in court May 31.
Andrea Carrasquillo, a former employee of Sajen, Inc., a jewelry store located in Putney, was cited for grand larceny, embezzlement and possession of stolen property April 4. Her husband, Seth Carrasquillo, was cited for aiding the commission of a felony and possession of stolen property.
Capt. Robert Lakin of the Windham County Sheriff's Department said Andrea Carrasquillo had been working at the store for more than 10 years. She was in charge of inventories, and her supervisory role gave her access to the merchandise, he said.
She had already been laid off from her job for unrelated reasons when the store's owners received a tip from a concerned eBay customer who came across the stolen jewelry for sale. The customer turned out be friends with the business owners, according to members of the sheriff's department.
After investigating the case for about two weeks, Sheriff's Deputy Melissa Martin and other members of the sheriff's department executed a search warrant of the Carrasquillo residence.
A large amount of jewelry was recovered at the residence, along with evidence supporting the allegations, such as UPS boxes and information stored on the couple's home computer, said Lakin.
Just how long Carrasquillo was allegedly stealing from her employer remains unclear, but Martin said she it was going on since at least November 2010.
According to members of the sheriff's department, the jewelry was being sold on Seth Carrasquillo's eBay account, and the investigation confirmed his involvement in the scheme.
Martin said these types of larceny cases hit especially close to home for the victims.
"They take it personally because they've known (the employee) for so long," she said.
