A man who frequently spent time in Florida is now at the center of a multifaceted white collar crime case. The man is accused of embezzling a staggering $2.5 million from the town of Winchester. He is said to have done this by taking advantage of his former position as the town’s finance director. In that position, he had unfettered access to the municipality’s accounts and monetary transactions.
Winchester officials have filed a civil lawsuit against him in the amount of $7.5 million, three times the amount they say he embezzled while working in a position of trust. The man’s legal troubles don’t stop there. He has also been accused of defaulting on three American Express cards.
According to the company, he owes a total of over $36,000 on the cards and has refused to make payments on that amount. They say that even if he did make minimum payments on the amount due, it would take him 28 years to pay off all of it. Correspondingly, American Express is also suing him.
The man’s longtime connection to Florida is based on having kept a mistress in the Sunshine State. According to the allegations, he made regular trips to Florida to spend time with his mistress, showering her with a bevy of extravagant gifts. His accusers say that the trips and the gifts were funded by the money that he illicitly took from them.
He is being held at a correctional center located in New Haven in lieu of $100,000 bond, and will appear in court on Oct. 8 regarding the embezzlement charges. Two weeks later, on Oct. 22, he will be back in court to face the attorneys of American Express.
White collar crime legal accusations affect people in walks of life. This holds true in Florida, whether the accused is a resident or frequent visitor like in this case. All of the facts in such cases should be objectively reviewed so a fair verdict can be reached.
Source: The Register Citizen, “Former Winsted finance director Henry Centrella faces lawsuit from credit card company” Mercy Quaye, Oct. 07, 2013