Embezzlement: Information Technology Manager Charged With Embezzling $3.7 Million From Starbucks

In a case that illustrates the high cost of lapses in financial controls, a former Starbucks information technology manager has been arrested and charged with an embezzlement scheme that cost the coffee company $3.7 million. Rosemary Heinen allegedly used her position to set up fictitious businesses, create phony invoices, bill Starbucks millions for services that were never performed, and forge another supervisor’s signature to approve payment. In addition to criminal charges, she also faces a civil suit by Starbucks.