Worker who felt ‘unappreciated’ stole $640,000 to spend on women, trips, NM cops say

A disgruntled vitamin shop worker in Anthony, New Mexico, accused of embezzling more than $640,000 told police he did it because he felt “overworked” and “unappreciated”, according to court documents.

Robert Lonsinger, 31, was charged with 69 counts of forgery after an employee at the vitamin shop noticed the irregularities and reported them to the owner, officials said.

The investigation began over the summer after the shop owner reported to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office that she suspected Lonsinger of “stealing business checks that he allegedly fraudulently wrote to himself and deposited into a personal account,” the El Paso Times reported.

“During the investigation, a sheriff’s detective determined that a series of 69 checks, ranging in amounts from approximately $8,000 to over $9,000 were written monthly to Lonsinger, beginning on Aug. 24, 2017,” CBS4Local said.

Police started surveillance in July and a deputy reported Lonsinger walked out of his home and said, “I knew this day would come, I have been waiting for you guys for awhile,” per court documents.

Once he was interviewed by a detective, Lonsinger admitted to the crimes, saying “there is no accountant or anyone that really knows what’s coming in and out in terms of money; so he knew it would be easy to do,” per court documents.

Lonsinger is married but toldhis wife he is a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department to cover up his trips to Las Vegas with girlfriends, officials said. Court documents also say he gave money to friends and used money to support his cocaine addiction.

He was arrested Monday and charged with one count of fraud over $20,000 and the 69 counts of forgery, authorities said. He was taken to the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond, pending arraignment, media outlets reported.