Office Manager Denies Theft Charges

The Berksire Eagle   reports longtime office manager of a North Adams scrap metal business pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that she has embezzled more than $200,000 from the company in the last two years, according to documents filed in Northern Berkshire District Court.

In an interview before her arrest, Deborah Trybus, of Lanesborough, told police that she'd been stealing funds from George Apkin & Sons for five or six years, but didn't keep track of the total amount she had taken, according to a report filed with the case.

It wasn't until Oct. 28 that William Apkin, who is a co-stock holder in the business with his brother, realized that there were issues with the company's financial records during a random electronic inspection of checks that had been written to vendors.

When he cross referenced one check for $7,812 that had been written to one of their regular vendors with TD Bank records, he learned that the check for that amount had actually been written out to Nicole Gallese.

Apkin then realized that checks totaling $191,000 had been written out to Gallese between Jan. 1, 2019 to Oct. 15, 2019.

In 2018, there were four checks totaling $30,000 that had been cashed or deposited into Gallese's account.

After writing checks out in her daughter's name, Trybus would later go back into the company's Electronic General Ledger and edit the check to show it was going to one of the regular vendors, police said she admitted.

After pleading not guilty Wednesday to larceny over $1,200 by single scheme, forgery of a check, uttering a false check, Trybus was released from court on personal recognizance, according to court records.

Trybus is scheduled to return to Northern Berkshire District Court for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 4.