PLAIN CITY, Ohio — The former chief operating officer of a Union County brewery has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from the company.
Lyle Bigelow pleaded guilty to aggravated theft on Oct. 25, 2023, and was sentenced on Dec. 13 to 2 1/2 years in prison, according to Union County court records.
In addition to the prison term, Mr. Bigelow was ordered to pay $107,014.92 in restitution.
The Union County Prosecutor's Office announced in October 2022 that the CEO of Plain City's 1487 Brewery reported that one of his employees had falsified his books and misused a corporate credit card to take money out of his paycheck. .
Investigators say that from 2021 to October 2022, Bigelow, who was the brewery's chief operating officer (COO), transferred his salary to an account he opened under a false name and gave himself unearned money. It was discovered that more than $200,000 had been extracted from the business by paying
Prosecutors said the suspect also used the company's credit card to make more than $14,000 in personal purchases on Amazon.
The brewery's owner said in court that Bigelow's theft nearly wiped out his business.
On Tuesday, 1487 Brewery announced it would be permanently closing on Sunday, February 4th “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
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