Alarm company employee charged with embezzlement
By Chelsie Woods
Updated Thu January 12, 2006
NEW CANAAN, Conn.--The former bookkeeper for New Canaan Alarm Company, a family-run security company that is well known in the area, was arrested last week and charged with embezzling nearly $700,000 over a three-year period.
Lisa Odierno has been charged with first degree larceny and 291 counts of second-degree forgery, felony crimes, according to Sgt. David Ferris of the New Canaan Police Department. Ferris said she took $676,172 from the security company, writing checks to herself for cash or to pay credit card bills.
"It's definitely jail time," said Ferris, who did not have the specifics on how much time in prison Odierno may face.
Police began investigating claims that Odierno took money from the company in September after someone found discrepancies in the company's bookkeeping and a company issued check on Odierno's desk written to either herself or a credit card company.
New Canaan Alarm Company owner Paul Cluchinski filed the complaint with the police department. Cluchinski declined to comment on the investigation.
Ferris said the investigation into Odierno continues, with both police and New Canaan Alarm working together on the effort. He said the alarm company is going through an internal audit, and expects that amount Odierno took from the company could increase.
Odierno has been released on a $350,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court Jan. 18.
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