Former Grant Thornton US partner pleads guilty to stealing $4m
Ex-Grant Thornton partner Craig Haber pleads guilty to stealing $4m in client payments from the global accounting firm
FORMER GRANT THORNTON partner Craig Haber pleaded guilty on Wednesday to stealing $4m (£2.54m) in client payments from the global accounting firm.
Haber, a partner at Grant Thornton’s New York office from 1993 to 2012, was said by prosecutors to have diverted money into his personal bank account between 2004 and 2012, at a federal court hearing in New York, Reuters reported.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of mail fraud and will be sentenced on 13 December.
As part of his plea, Haber agreed not to appeal any order requiring him to pay back up to $4.34m and to forfeit $3.97m, all rights to his Manhattan apartment and $1.8m in a brokerage account.
“I knew my conduct was wrong. I apologise sincerely to the firm for my actions,” Reuters cited Haber as saying at the hearing. He admitted telling to mail checks directly to his office, which he then deposited into a bank account he controlled.
Tim Blair, a spokesman for the firm, said Wednesday the firm was “pleased that the authorities have resolved this matter swiftly.”