A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan.
The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined.
Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked in sales at a Taipei store specializing in importing Nike shoes in 2012, the court filing showed.
Photo: AFP
An investigation found that Chen, from November 2019 to March 2021, had altered records on the company’s “inventory management system.”
She discovered that it was easy to change the stock figures to zero when taking inventory and continued this practice for some time, they said, adding that at one point, she stole up to 130 pairs of shoes, entering them as zero in the records.
Chen had illegally appropriated 2,325 pairs of shoes, which she sold to customers at a 20 percent discount, pocketing NT$7.32 million of the company’s revenue, the filing said.
During questioning, Chen admitted altering inventory records, investigators said. When the company reviewed the computer entries, they found discrepancies and financial losses, leading prosecutors to charge Chen with embezzlement.
Evidence showed that Chen had embezzled property for personal gain and contravened the law, despite her admission of wrongdoing, requests for leniency and expressions of remorse, the court ruling showed.
Chen attempted to reach a financial settlement with the company, but they were unable to agree on the amount, it showed.
The ruling can still be appealed.
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