newkid said:
MarketStar (the company Raven worked for while he was contracted out to HP) occasionally sells off old equipment to employees. Not at any set time and not like a yard sale, the word just goes out to employees.
What had been happening at MarketStar was that certain individuals were ebaying brand new equipment. They were also buying amex gift checks that were supposed to be used for promotions and giveaways, but were depositing the checks in their own bank accounts. These people were discovered and fired a little after Raven had already left the company I think. They had been at it for quite a while. From what we've heard though, Raven's name never came up. He certainly could have picked up ideas from it, by the time it was over nearly everyone had heard about it.
Sorry about the confusion, people thinking I was referring to a different Utah job. MarketStar is located in Utah, but has people all over the country contracted out to HP.
I've been thinking about this MarketStar/HP deal for days now.
It's my understanding that Raven worked for MarketStar as a rep for HP products (while in Fredericksburg, Virginia, but servicing various territories). (While there, one of his customers was the IT company, Monette, in Smithfield, Virginia....)...
I also understand that at some point in time, Raven was still working for MarketStar, but based out of Charlotte, NC.
From what I gather he worked for MarketStar, then at some point, sometime in Fall of 2001, went to work for Monette (there's a post here somewhere with a company newsletter announcing him as a new employee), then ultimately went BACK to work for MarketStar again.
I'm not clear on whether he worked first for MarketStar in Charlotte or in Fredericksburg.... but apparantly WAS employed there at two different times.
My point is -
I wonder about the exact timing of the embezzlement and fraud that went on at MarketStar. The whole scheme of selling new equipment (albeit STOLEN) on eBay is certainly the MO that Raven used at Eurosport it seems...
So at Eurosport, did Raven, while seemingly caught up in a world of Big Boy Toys, large expenses, etc., just decide one day - "you know what, I need money...so I think I'll figure out a way to steal things, then resell them. 100% profit."
Perhaps. But it seems that this scheme was fairly elaborate. Certainly not just going to the shipping department and slipping out the door with a pair of soccer shoes here and there. If in fact the value of the embezzled goods was indeed $9000, that's a good number of those shoes, or whatever, in a fairly short period of time (4-5 months). So it stands to reason that, perhaps:
a) Raven gave the scheme a good deal of thought and planning before starting the actual embezzlement... And keep in mind, as we've been told, the first embezzlement charge is linked to July 2004...Raven was only hired at Eurosport the previous summer (2003)... so, I suppose one could say he had nearly a year to plan and get this scheme up and going...or,
b) He "knew" of this whole scheme from somewhere else. Perhaps knowledge of the MarketStar/HP embezzlement scheme...or,
c) Perhaps he WAS involved in the scheme at MarketStar, on some level, either the first or second time he was employed there.... involved, I suppose, can mean many things - he knew about the scheme, he participated in the scheme but wasn't caught, or perhaps he helped cover up the scheme....
You often read that people who participate in so-called white-collar-crimes have done so throughout their professional careers. Something as simple as taking home a legal pad for personal use, is in fact technically employee theft. And as in the case of many crimes, when a person "gets away" with something once, they are often emboldened to keep at it... Perhaps this speaks to Raven and the embezzlement - one charge in July...not another until September. Maybe "testing" the scheme in July, laid low in August to see how things went, nothing happens, back to "Futbalrguy's Soccer Shop on eBay" in September ( I made that name up...)...
That said, was this just another stop on a pattern in Raven's professional career? Who knows. But that MarketStar business sure has a familiar ring to it - my bet is, Raven had SOME involvement - directly or indirectly - if nothing else, it may have provided information - information used to embezzle at Eurosport...
And
that, was the beginning of the end. For Raven, professionally, and perhaps, for Janet, and her life.
:blowkiss: 
