The amazing things you can do with an American Express card!
 

Employee of Auto Supplier Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Embezzling Nearly $1 Million

Mateus Ribeiro Da Costa, a legal permanent resident of the United States and citizen of Brazil, received a 30-month sentence today for his conviction for wire fraud, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. Ms. McQuade was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

From 2007 through 2010, Da Costa embezzled nearly $1 million from his employer, Magneti Marelli North America (MMNA), by submitting dozens of fraudulent invoices, false expense reports, and forged letters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of investigators from MMNA, uncovered the scheme and arrested Da Costa as he was attempting to leave the United States on a flight to his home country of Brazil. Along with his prison sentence, Da Costa has been ordered to pay restitution to MMNA in the amount of $985,359.11.

The evidence uncovered by investigators revealed that, beginning in April 2007 and continuing through July 2010, Da Costa devised and executed his scheme to defraud his employer by telling MMNA officials that he was working with a vendor, which he claimed was providing services in connection with MMNA’s contract with General Motors of Mexico. Da Costa told officials at MMNA that the vendor refused to be paid for their services via wire transfers or checks. Instead, Da Costa stated that the vendor required all customers, including MMNA, to pay their invoices via credit card. Da Costa convinced MMNA management to allow him to directly pay the vendor by using his corporate American Express credit card. MMNA management agreed that Da Costa could then seek reimbursement from MMNA for the payments that he represented he made to the vendor using his corporate credit card.
Beginning in April 2007, Da Costa created false expense reports, which included false or forged invoices from the vendor and detailed reports of the vendor’s activities justifying the invoices. In reality, the vendor was not performing any work for or providing any services to MMNA, and had not sent invoices to MMNA in several years.

if he hid the money well and just told them he had a gambling problem. he'll be out of the club fed and live like a king in his own country

Idiot. This is one reason corporations were formed. To shield people who do this kinda crap.

What he should have done is form a shell corporation in Puerto Rico, bid on government contracts nobody else wants, bill the .gov, ship substandard product or provide substandard service, declare bankruptcy, and only then retire to Brazil.

That sounds like a really good business plan!:D