Mr. Bahram Khosropanah worked for a Richmond-based company operating convenience stores across the country.
Mr. Khosropanah was responsible for purchasing computers and other electronics for the company. In an alleged fraud scheme, Mr. Khosropanah made unauthorized modifications to the invoices before submitting them to his accounting department for approval.
The modifications allowed Mr. Khosropanah to misappropriate computers and electronics and conceal his misappropriations. The fraudulently acquired electronics were sold on eBay and to a third-party wholesaler. The total amount of misappropriated inventory sold included approximately 850 laptops and other electronics netting a profit of $1.9 million from the scheme. Mr. Khosropanah used the proceeds from the fraudulent sales to purchase luxury cars.
There was little oversight over the accuracy of the invoices, allowing Mr. Khosropanah to allegedly alter the invoices and receive extra electronics without alerting his employer. If there had been a system in place verifying the inventory after receiving orders, the employer could have possibly prevented the scheme from being able to succeed over the course of eight years.
Photo by Ömer Tosun
