(Evansville, IN) A three-and-a-half-year prison sentence has been issued to 45-year-old James H. Cox, of Kentucky, following his guilty plea to two counts of wire fraud, one count of filing a false federal income tax return, and two counts of failure to file a federal income tax.
Court documents state that Cox was employed as a Parts Manager for a multi-state business from March 2015 through November 2020. His duties included ordering parts, signing for them upon arrival, and logging the parts into inventory.
Cox used his 5-year employment to take advantage of the business by ordering unnecessary parts and paying for them with company funds. Officials say Cox would steal the merchandise, which included HVAC units and LED display kits, and sell them on eBay without permission. Once payment for the stolen parts was made using PayPal, Cox pocketed the proceeds from the sale. He also violated eBay’s user agreement by failing to disclose to buyers that the goods were stolen.
Cox stole approximately 400 items during his 5-year employment that resulted in a loss of nearly $432,000. He will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years after being released from prison. Cox owes his employer over $81,000, along with more than $349,000 to the employer’s insurance company, and almost $107,000 to the IRS.
