This tech job's paycheck is a steal
It may sound like a scene from the movie comedy Office Space, but authorities in New Jersey are not laughing.
Like one of the movie's characters--who erroneously receives paychecks--a Chicago-area man has allegedly been receiving nearly $100,000 a year for much of the past five years without actually showing up at the office or doing the job.
And that is what landed Anthony Armatys, 34, in jail about five years after he accepted a job at Avaya Communications, according to a report in the Daily Herald near Chicago. He accepted a job at Avaya in 2002, but backed out without starting the job, the paper reported. However, due to a system error, a paycheck was allegedly being deposited in to Armatys' bank account for the past five years--to the tune of about $470,000.
Armatys was arrested Wednesday at his Palatine, Ill., home on one count of theft by deception for knowingly accepting paychecks for a job he never had, police said. The arrest was the culmination of an 11-month probe by detectives in New Jersey, where the communications company is based.
He may have been the unwitting recipient of a clerical error, but--in the eyes of legal-savvy Daily Herald readers--Armatys crossed the line when he allegedly called Fidelity Investments, identified himself as an Avaya employee, and arranged the withdrawal of about $2,000 from an employee retirement fund to which the company had contributed.
Armatys is being held on $50,000 bail while he is awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
The Armatys family told the newspaper that it had "no comment at all."
Umm, yeah. I think prosecutors are gonna have to ask you to return those paychecks.
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.
So who was more incompetent, the HR department at Avaya that let this guy get paid for over 4 years for a job he didn't have, or the police, who took 11 months to find a guy who had a bank account?
Since he hadn't touched it before, he could claim ignorance and take his chances with a jury. Once he did, however, he could call it Christmas and, again, take his chances with a jury.
The who's stupidest in this story question: the auditors, the government, and finally the guy for only taking a few bucks...
It finally took legal threats after my wife was disabled and on disability.
Seton treated her badly. It used to be a Catholic run Hospital (don't know anymore) but they may as well call it "Satan Hospital".
My wife has since passed away. I believe in Karma and what comes around goes around.
SOX came about in July of 2002, but IIRC there was a 12-month period in which the corps were still hustling to get compliant procedures in place. Like most corps, Avaya probably grandfathered in a lot of existing states of data, if you will, which likely includes this guy.
/P
Of course the fact that Avaya doesn't even have managers approve employees on thier budgets or that managers don't know who they are paying is pretty bad for Avaya.
This guy probably figured they would come calling one day. If he spent all the money and won't agree to repaying Avaya, well he's an idiot and will go to jail, but it should be entirely up to him, right now, agree to make it right or go to jail.
Maybe Avaya can find a spot for him and let him work off his debt......
for five years? Please. No matter how skilled the man is, he is still
dishonest and a thief.
It's disappointing to see that people think there was nothing wrong here.
It was definitely stupid of him to withdrawal anything from the retirement fund, and he should only have to pay back that $2000, but for the rest, Avaya messed up, not him, he shouldn't have to pay for the idiot who's actually responsible.
We keep on saying "He should have been honest!" but there is no law that says you have to give back money that someone gives you, even if it is a mistake on their part.
If there is, it shouldn't be there because it lends itself to abuse by companies and people who just don't want to pay someone the money that they rightfully earned.
AS LONG AS HE PAID HIS TAXES THEN LET HIM GO....
THE COMPANY SHOULD JUST CALL IT A LOSS...
Unfortunately, the company cannot prove that he did not try to inform them, and you only have to try ONCE by most state and federal laws.
- He did nothing wrong?
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by topry
January 25, 2008 2:02 PM PST
- Oh please, where are your ethics and morals? Taking something to which you have no right is both ethically and morally wrong. As for the legal matter, that varies state to state. However, I would doubt that he did not spend any of the money he was paid and each time he did, he knew he was taking money that was not his. Why else would he contact Fidelity and pull out the funds and misrepresent himself as an Avaya employee. This has fraud all over it - send him to jail!
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- Ethics and morals?!?! PLEASE!!!
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by jbaesman
January 27, 2008 2:47 PM PST
- This is Chicago!!! The city is completely corrupt. Just look at who all the major municipal buildings are named after -- Capone era politicians who were on the take. The past five Illinois governors have been indicted on corruption and there's talk of indicting the sitting governor. It's just part of the mentality here.
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