Three former employees of a Bryan business, and the son of one of the former employees, are accused of taking part in a credit card scheme involving hundreds of charges totaling more than $255,000.
According to the Bryan police arrest report, an investigation began almost two and a half years ago.
The business owner gave BPD five binders of information related to illegal credit card charges dating back to 2011.
The person who managed the business owner’s credit card statements and payments, 58 year old Sheila Okonski of Bryan, was arrested on a felony charge of disguising the transactions. According to the arrest report, she would not provide a statement to BPD.
Her son, 30 year old Chance Okonski of Bryan, was arrested on a felony theft charge, accusing him of collecting almost $20,000 dollars over a five year period. According to the arrest report, all BPD attempts to contact the son were unsuccessful.
A second former employee, 37 year old Edwin Holland of Bryan, is accused of stealing between $30,000 and $150,000. According to the arrest report, Holland left voice messages but would not make direct contact with BPD investigators.
The third former employee, 32 year old Luis Garcia of Hilltop Lakes, was arrested on a charge of credit card abuse. According to the arrest report, Garcia admitted to using a company card to make a $249.99 purchase at a local sporting goods store and an undisclosed amount of purchases at a men’s clothing store owned by Chance Okonski. Garcia claimed to have repaid his former employer by deducting money out of his paycheck.
According to arrest reports, “The results of the forensic accounting uncovered hundreds of unauthorized credit card charges on credit cards issued to Edwin Holland and Luis Garcia. The charges were discovered and confirmed by comparing the true credit card statement pulled directly from the credit card company to the statements that were filed in the office and maintained by Sheila Okonski.”
The business owners also provided investigators “numerous examples of company reminders on the appropriate use of the credit cards.”
All four are out of jail after posting bond.
And the arrest report stated “Since the three employees suspected in credit card abuse, theft and fraud were terminated, there has been no incidents of internal fraud.”
