A quick $250,000 – please!
A Detroit-area auto supply executive is scheduled to be arraigned this week on charges that he embezzled from his former employer. The complaint against Rafael Antonio Fernandez, 38, stems from his employment with Irausa American Co. A 1996 internal audit of Irausa conducted of its Southfield office alleged he, Fernandez, used his Irausa corporate credit card and other means to run up bills for; jewelry, women’s shoes, a honeymoon shopping trip in California, leather furniture for his home and more. Irausa estimates that Fernandez embezzled about $250,000.
The audit became the basis of a criminal complaint. The charges stem from Fernandez’s alleged purchase of a refrigerator with Irausa checks totaling $1,630 according to police. Company auditors found that two used refrigerators were delivered to Irausa’s office, while a new appliance was delivered to Fernandez’s home in West Bloomfield Township, Mich.
