Palm City store manager accused of stealing more than $200,000 from employer
December 3rd, 2008 by Daphne Duret
Nicholas Cutrone, Jr.
PALM CITY — Former battery store manager Nicholas Cutrone, Jr. is facing charges that he used company money to power a bank account he used to pay his own property taxes, make car payments and pay bills to American Express and VIctoria’s Secret.
Cutrone, 37, of Port St. Lucie, was the manager of Interstate Battery System at 4473 SW Port Way in Palm City. According to deputies, Cutrone in November 2007 opened a bank account under the name Sandpiper Battery and used it to deposit checks made out to the store.
Detectives said they began investigating in August when a corporate employee of Interstate Batteries called and said an annual audit revealed discrepancies in money transfers.
The investigation revealed, according to detectives, that the account had been used to pay Cutrone’s personal expenses, including: taxes on his residence in Port St. Lucie, car payments on an Infiniti and a Nissan, water bills, cable television bills, and credit card bills for American Express and Victoria’s Secret.
Detectives said Cutrone also made checks payable to himself from the Sandpiper Battery account in the amount of $49,000. All told, detectives allege Cutrone took $235,595.70 from the company.
Cutrone was arrested Tuesday on grand theft charges and released after posting $150,000 bond.
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