Former employee of Colorado Springs hairdressing academy accused of stealing over $130,000

Zachary Dupont, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·2 min read

Oct. 12—A former employee of a Colorado Springs hairdressing academy is accused of stealing over $130,000 from the business, according to an arrest affidavit.

Investigators say the theft occurred from 2019 to 2021 while Hayley Jayde Chandler, 28, served as administrative director of Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy, located at 5125 N. Academy Blvd.

The arrest records allege that Chandler used a company credit card for personal expenses including hotels, restaurants, phone bills, rent and more.

The fraudulent credit card charges came to the attention of owner Sandra Chandler, Hayley Chandler's grandmother, in July 2021 after Hayley Chandler notified her that she was quitting her job, according to the affidavit.

When Sandra Chandler went to the office to sort out paperwork, she discovered the abnormally high credit card bills that were in Hayley Chandler's office, according to arrest records.

Sandra Chandler noticed that just three days before Hayley Chandler quit, there was a charge for over $12,000, which detectives later learned was to pay for Hayley Chandler's rent at her apartment complex for the next full year.

Investigators said Hayley Chandler also used the company credit card for over $10,000 worth of Amazon products, over $2,000 in food delivery services, over $6,500 for furniture from Wayfair and $32,000 in "miscellaneous charges" found not to be related to the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy business.

Detectives discovered nearly $50,000 Hayley Chandler sent from the company credit card to her personal bank accounts, PayPal accounts and Square accounts that were not permitted transactions, according to the arrest records.

In total, Hayley Chandler used the company credit card for $111,494 in fraudulent expenses, according to the affidavit.

Additionally, detectives discovered $21,000 in fraudulent checks written from Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy's petty cash account by Hayley Chandler, bringing the total stolen from the business to $132,564.

Hayley Chandler is facing charges of theft between $100,000 and $1 million as well as money laundering, both class 3 felonies. If convicted on both charges, she could face up to 24 years in prison.

Court records show Hayley Chandler was arrested Sept. 30 and was released from the El Paso County jail after posting $10,000 bond on Oct. 8.

Hayley Chandler is expected to make her first appearance in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court on Oct. 20.