Woman used more than $100K of employers’ money, bought items on Amazon, SC police say

A Midlands woman who stole more than $100,000 from the Richland County business where she worked and used the money on herself was arrested earlier this month, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.

Idene Tucker Thompson, a 49-year-old Kershaw County resident, was the office manager for Abacus Planning Group. She is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent (value $10,000 or more), SLED said in a news release.

On Jan. 6, Thompson was taken into custody at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to police. On Jan. 8, Thompson posted a $2,500 bond, Richland County court records show. She is no longer listed on the jail’s inmate roster.

Between January 2018 and August 2022 Thompson took money from her employer, which is based in Columbia, an arrest warrant shows.

As the office manager, Thompson was entrusted with a company credit card “for authorized purchases,” the arrest warrant said.

Thompson was permitted to use the card to pay for her education, a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, but she overpaid and was issued refunds that totaled about $64,518, according to the arrest warrant. The refund checks were deposited into Thompson’s TD Bank account, the arrest warrant shows.

Additionally, Thompson charged about $67,000 to the company credit card on Amazon for personal items, according to the arrest warrant. Information about what those personal items was not available. There was no word if she spent all of the money refunded from the college to her personal account.

Thompson is scheduled to appear in court again on March 29, according to court records. Her case is being prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

If convicted on the felony charge, Thompson faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.