A Chantilly man was given a suspended sentence in court Friday and was ordered to make full restitution to the Fair Oaks business from which he embezzled $4,445. He is Anthony David George, 26, of 13926 Blueberry Lane.
George was a salesman for Trans World Entertainment/FYE, an electronics store in Fair Oaks Mall, and his offense occurred from July 1, 2001 until May 1, 2002. He provided details of his crime in a handwritten statement dated May 7 of this year.
He said he cheated his employer by several means, including fraudulent returns of merchandise for bogus customers, in which he kept the cash for himself. "I've taken some products home without paying," he wrote. "I've marked items down for people during transactions (i.e., offering discounts to friends)."
As far as merchandise George pilfered, he said it included: 15 CDs at $20 each, totaling $300; 20 games at $50 each, for $1,000; 7 DVDs at $24 each for $168; 4 VHS tapes at $15 each for $60; an X-Box controller costing $35 and 12 X-Box memory cards totaling $50.
"I did markdowns mostly for CDs, but occasionally [for] a game system, averaging about $7 per markdown," he wrote. He noted that he did this "no more than 70 times, for a total of approximately $490."
George said he made fraudulent refunds for about 10 1/2 months. He admitted to 50 fraudulent cash refunds at approximately $30 each for a total of $1,500. He wrote that his fraudulent refunds in the "last 90 days" amounted to 22 for a total of $843.
"I took things by ... sticking them in my jacket pocket or stuffing them down my pants," he wrote. "I carried out the X-Box controller in a duffel bag. The reason I've done [this] is because I needed to find some way to pay off many of my debts, [of] which I have quite a few. I am extremely sorry and embarrassed about what I've done."
Following his arrest, George pleaded guilty to embezzlement, July 29, in Fairfax County Circuit Court. He returned Friday for sentencing before Judge David Stitt. At that time, defense attorney Michael Davis said the sentencing guidelines called for probation and, in this case, they're appropriate.
"It was George's first brush with the law," he said. "He was in trouble financially and embezzled from his employer. But he cooperated after he got caught and has taken responsibility for it and is looking for a [new] job. He realizes he made a mistake. He made a bad choice, and he won't do it again."
A payment plan of $100 a month restitution was agreed on, and then Stitt sentenced the Chantilly man to two years prison, suspending it all and placing him on two years probation. He also ordered George to receive mental-health treatment, maintain full-time employment and "notify any future employers of this conviction so they're not blindsided."