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A sales representative distributing Little Debbie snack foods to area retailers is accused of issuing more than $13,000 in fraudulent invoices to several Washington County grocers in order to boost his commission.
James Daniel Powell, 39, of Valley Grove, W.Va., was charged last week with multiple felony counts of forgery and theft after City of Washington police accused him of forging the signatures of grocery store employees and never delivering the snack products listed in the invoices.
The local investigation began when sheriff's deputies in Jefferson County, Ohio, began looking into the alleged fraudulent business dealings and contacted Washington police about possible similar issues in Pennsylvania. Powell was working for Stewart Snacks LLC based in Richmond, Ohio, and distributing Little Debbie snack foods to Shop'n Save in the city, along with Giant Eagle and Walmart in South Strabane Township, according to court documents.
The distributor operated through a central billing provider, but store employees had to sign off on the invoices upon receipt of goods. According to police, Powell forged the signatures of at least two Shop'n Save employees, charging the store $8,470 through five invoices in July and August last year without ever visiting the store to deliver the product.
He is also accused of filing three fraudulent invoices that billed Giant Eagle a total of $3,902 last August and another invoice of $964 to Walmart in September.
In total, police said he charged $13,337 in faulty invoices to the three stores, which gave him $3,734 in additional sales commission for the fraudulent sales.
Washington police charged Powell on Thursday with multiple felonies, including three counts of forgery, two counts each of theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and one charge of deceptive or fraudulent business practices. He is also facing misdemeanor charges of records tampering, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking deceptive or fraudulent business practices.
The arrest warrant was filed at District Judge Kelly Stewart's office in Washington, and police said Powell was arrested in West Virginia, where he is awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania.