Harford man pleads guilty to stealing from employer

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A Harford man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a white-collar theft scheme in which he stole more than $80,000 from his Howard employer.

Timothy Shipe, 40, of Havre de Grace, pleaded guilty before Howard Circuit Judge Richard Bernhardt to a theft scheme greater than $500.

Shipe pocketed revenue from recycling metal office furniture while he was manager of the Hunt Valley office for Kane Co. Office Movers in Elkridge, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Lynn Marshall said in a written statement in court.

The Kane Co. movers relocated offices for clients and recycled their unwanted metal furniture for cash, according to Marshall.

A few hundred dollars could be kept for company expenses, but the remaining cash was to be sent to the Elkridge corporate office, according to company policy.

Shipe instructed Office Movers drivers to take furniture to Baltimore Scrap recycling and then give him the cash at the Hunt Valley office, according to Marshall.

Shipe’s managers became suspicious when client Aon Corp. should have generated between $10,000 and $20,000 in recycling revenue, but in spring 2006 the corporate office didn’t receive any money.

Payment records from Baltimore Scrap indicated more than $80,000 in cash was given to drivers who reported to Shipe between Jan. 7, 2004, and Aug. 18, 2006. Bank records indicate $10,400 was deposited into Shipe’s account during the same time frame, and none of that money was turned over to the corporate office, according to Marshall.

Investigators also discovered Shipe used cash to purchase golf equipment costing between $6,000 and $8,000.

Shipe resigned in August 2006 after learning of the company’s internal audit.

State sentencing guidelines range from probation to 12 months’ incarceration, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office, but Shipe’s attorney, J. Shawn Alcarese, said he would debate the guidelines at the Sept. 18 sentencing. Shipe is free on  $10,000 bail.

“The prosecutor says 12 months instead of six months, because he had a traffic conviction,” Alcarese said.

“We will be arguing that a traffic conviction shouldn’t raise it to 12 months.”

cpeirce@baltimoreexaminer.com

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