TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is behind bars, accused of stealing more than $13,000 from his job by breaking into his boss' office through an air vent.
Adam Hancock, 29, was booked into jail Friday.
Between Dec. 12, 2017, and May 14, 2018, Hancock falsely made or altered 57 checks in the total amount of $13,235.16 with the intent to defraud Apple Pie Maids, according to a complaint written by a Tallahassee Police Department investigator.
According to court documents, the owner of Apple Pie Maids hired Hancock as an administrative assistant.
He was given his first payroll check on Dec. 6, 2017, and was paid bi-weekly thereafter until his final payroll check on Feb. 14, 2018. He received five payroll checks and one cash advance from the business.
Upon noticing the missing money, the owner reported the fraud to her bank, which refused to pay her claim because Hancock had been employed by Apple Pie Maids. As a result, the owner said the business suffered a loss of $10,764.16.
The owner told investigators that, after the fraud, she opened a new business account with Wells Fargo and ordered a large sum of checks and kept them in her office in a locked filing cabinet.
Later on, the owner found that Hancock had obtained checks from her new Wells Fargo account and again made checks out to himself, forging her signature, the court documents said.
Upon further investigation, the owner said she discovered that an air vent on her office door had loose screws. She said she turned the screws easily and the vent came off, discovering that it would have been possible for someone to reach through and turn the handle to open her office door.
The owner also told investigators that Hancock's file was missing from her desk. In total, the amount money Hancock stole through the second batch of checks was $2,554.
Documents say investigators were able to see that the stolen checks were deposited into Hancock's account.
During an interview, Hancock told investigators that the checks he cashed were for working at the business and agreed to meet. However, attempts to contact Hancock were unsuccessful.
Based on the evidence, investigators found probable cause to charge Hancock with grand theft, $300 - $5,000 (1 count), grand theft $10,000 - $20,000 (1 count), forgery (57 counts) and burglary of a structure (1 count).
Hancock was taken into custody on Saturday. As of Monday, he remains in the Leon County Detention Center on a $41,000 bond.
