BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A 44-year-old Sedro-Woolley woman was arrested Monday in connection with a $1.4 million embezzlement case involving a Bellingham business.
Bellingham police detectives began their investigation in August after the manager and owner of Bellingham Hardware Sales reported that an assistant manager at the store had stolen funds from the company over the years.
The investigation revealed that Amy D. Siniscarco misappropriated more than $1.4 million from the business between 2017 and 2022, according to a Bellingham Police Department news release.
Over the past four months, detectives investigating the case identified several ways in which Siniscarco allegedly obtained funds from hardware sales and then manipulated accounting systems to hide the theft, the BPD said.
Investigators said the woman forged checks, used mortgage direct debit, committed credit card fraud, stole petty cash and used other methods to allegedly steal funds from her employer.
From 2017 to the present, there have been more than 190 transactions, with a total loss of at least $1,424,696.31. Police said there was evidence that the company’s thefts dated back to 2014.
Sinisco surrendered to Bellingham police on Monday and is in the Whatcom County Jail on seven counts of first-degree larceny, five counts of identity theft and 13 counts of forgery.
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