By Nate Raymond and Dena Aubin
NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A former partner at Grant
Thornton was arrested on Wednesday on charges that he stole
nearly $4 million in client payments meant for the global
accounting firm.
Craig Haber, 59, diverted the money to his own bank accounts
from 2004 to 2012, according to a criminal complaint filed in
U.S. District Court in New York.
"Fraud is always serious, but it is especially alarming
when, as alleged here, it is committed by professionals who are
supposed to be gatekeepers responsible for ensuring financial
rectitude," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a
statement.
The complaint did not identify Grant Thornton by name, but a
spokesman for the firm confirmed the identity. The company has
been cooperating with the investigation.
The accounting firm, which had $4.2 billion in worldwide
revenue at the end of its September fiscal year, terminated
Haber in July, the complaint said.
"Grant Thornton disclosed this former partner's conduct to
the authorities promptly after discovering possible financial
improprieties, which resulted in his separation from the firm,"
Tim Blair, a spokesman for Grant, said in an email.
A lawyer for Haber, Michael Bachner, declined comment.
Haber worked at the accounting firm since 1990, becoming a
partner in 1993, the complaint said. He worked in its New York
offices, primarily providing tax advisory services related to
investment partnerships, the document said.
Beginning in 2004, Haber told clients on multiple occasions
to mail checks directly to his office, rather than route them
through its Chicago headquarters as was normal, the complaint
said.
Haber then deposited the checks into a bank account with a
name similar to his firm's, the charging documents said. He then
transferred the money into two personal bank accounts, the
complaint said.
The money was used to pay for the mortgage on his apartment,
a gym membership, child support and a brokerage account, among
other items, the complaint said.
The complaint charges Haber with one count of mail fraud,
which carries a maximum 20-year sentence.
Haber was released on a $500,000 bond following a hearing
before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman. The judge scheduled
a preliminary hearing in the case for March 8.
The case is United States v. Haber, U.S. District Court,
Southern District of New York, 13-mag-0329.
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