A Georgia man has been indicted on charges of defrauding his former employer, San Francisco-based retailer Williams Sonoma, out of more than $10 million. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ben Thomas III faces eight wire fraud counts and four money laundering counts.
Acting on a grand jury's decision, Thomas, 48, was alleged to have deceitfully set up a sham temporary staffing company named Empire Logistics Services. The bogus company billed for work but never provided it to Williams Sonoma. The prosecutor claims that this subterfuge was undisclosed to Williams Sonoma. Thomas controlled the Empire while draining funds for personal enrichment, including lavish purchases such as a yacht and cloning his pet. As part of the scheme, and accused by the indictment, Thomas slipped hundreds of fake invoices under his $50,000 approval threshold right under the employer’s nose from 2017 to 2023.
While at the Williams Sonoma hub and distribution facility in Braselton, Georgia, Thomas held the general manager position. With authority to hire staff and green-light vendor payments of up to $50,000, the indictment alleges Thomas abused this trust by channeling funds into a controlled bank account. "The defendant is charged with enriching himself by cheating his employer, a publicly traded company. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to rooting out fraud in this District and to ensuring that those who abuse positions of trust and authority are held accountable for their actions," said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Between 2017 and 2023, Thomas reportedly approved payments to Empire more than 335 times, topping $10 million. Scheduled for his initial court appearance on Oct. 1 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang, Thomas will face the federal justice system in San Francisco. While an indictment is not a conviction, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty if found guilty, Thomas could face up to 20 years imprisonment, significant fines for each count of wire fraud, and further penalties for money laundering offenses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christiaan Highsmith is prosecuting this case following an investigation led by the IRS Criminal Investigation division. Thomas's alleged fraudulent acts display a stark betrayal of corporate trust and highlight corporate systems' vulnerability to insider threats.
