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Two men plead guilty to stealing from Amgen
Pair took $300,000 using fake accounts
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More from County NewsTwo men are facing five years each in prison after pleading guilty this week in Ventura County Superior Court to stealing more than $300,000 from biotech giant Amgen Inc. of Thousand Oaks.
Deputy District Attorney Shirley Hayton said Wednesday that Robert Troy Nipar, 44, and Jason Rimmer, 37, will be sentenced Jan. 11 after they pleaded guilty to one count of felony grand theft.
The delay in sentencing allows both men an opportunity to pay full restitution before they are sentenced, said Hayton. The two men are free on bail.
They were charged in June after a 10-month investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, according to prosecutors.
Rimmer, a San Mateo resident who worked as an event planner with Amgen, gave Nipar information to set up American Express merchant accounts for fictitious businesses with names very similar to Amgen's legitimate vendors, Hayton said.
She said Nipar, of Simi Valley, then charged Amgen's American Express account for nonexistent services and forwarded false invoices to Rimmer, who approved them for payment.
The funds that were paid were deposited into Nipar's bank account.
"They just used the money to enhance their lifestyles," Hayton said.
She said the case could serve as a reminder that business people shouldn't have complete trust in anybody when it comes to their company finances.
"Too much trust is placed in one individual and not enough supervision," she said, adding that it is always prudent to check bank statements, credit card statements and other financial records.
"You have to police your own business," Hayton said.
Amgen is the world's largest biotech company.
Posted by clementine on September 20, 2007 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd love to see their next resume --- State Penn!
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