Embezzlement charges: discussion, etc.

[Moxie]

Just like all those other Eurosport employees who were supposedly busted for embezzlement as well.

We never did find anything about those imaginary co-workers.

Raven lives in a unique world. And it seems that up to this point, it's worked for him. I just think that maybe, just maybe, he has reached the point, unbeknownst to him, where his lies won't work any more.

 

[Moxie]

​

Raven Abaroa, who is now living in Utah, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he embezzled money from his former employer.
​

Slain Durham Woman's Husband Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement Charges



POSTED: 11:58 am EDT August 22, 2005


HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- The husband of a Durham woman who was found dead in her home returned to the Triangle Tuesday to plead guilty to embezzlement charges.

In February, Raven Abaroa was charged with embezzling thousands of dollars from his former employer, Eurosport, where he and his wife worked.

Abaroa admits he stole thousands of dollars in merchandise from Eurosport in Chapel Hill. He told a judge that he used the money to pay off bills. He accepted a deal with Orange County prosecutors in which he will serve two years and pay back close to $10,000.

In April, Durham police found his wife, Janet Abaroa, stabbed to death in their home. An autopsy report released last week revealed that the 25-year-old was pregnant at the time of her death.

​

Janet Abaroa was found dead in her home April 26.



The couple's 6-month-old son, Kaiden, was also in the home, but was not hurt. Abaroa is now raising Kaiden in Utah with the help of his family.

"He's doing pretty good," Abaroa told WRAL. "He's growing, he looks great."

Abaroa would not talk about his wife's death or the investigation, but said he is determined to get through it.

"I think faith has a lot to do with it," he said.

Abaroa's attorney said they were eager for an arrest.

Investigators say they do not believe the murder was random. Last week, Durham investigators obtained a search warrant to gain access to the couple's e-mail accounts. They hope that they may find some information to lead them to an arrest.

Previous Stories:

• August 18, 2005: Autopsy: Durham Mother Found Dead In Home Was Pregnant
• August 17, 2005: Police Search E-Mail For Clues Into Abaroa's Death
• July 22, 2005: Prosecutors Offer Deal On Embezzlement Charges To Husband Of Slain Durham Mother
• May 24, 2005: Family Remembers Slain Durham Woman As Quiet, Graceful
• May 3, 2005: Search Warrant Reveals Details In Stabbing Of Durham Woman
• May 2, 2005: Police: Durham Mother Stabbed To Death
• April 29, 2005: Durham Police Tightlipped About Woman's Murder
• April 27, 2005: Police Investigating Possible Homicide In Durham

Reporter: Julia Lewis
Photographer: Don Ingle
Web Editor: Kelly Gardner

Copyright 2005 by
​

 

[terminatrixator]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

Abaroa Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement


(08/23/05 -- HILLSBOROUGH) - The widower of a murdered Durham woman spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday.

Raven Abaroa's comments came after he pleaded guilty to five counts embezzlement in Orange County. He ordered between 25 and 30 pairs of shoes from his former employer, Sports Endeavors, late last year. Abaroa, 25, had the merchandise delivered to his Durham home.

Valued at about $100 each, he sold the shoes and pocketed the money. Abaroa now has to pay the company the $9,600 he made and must return the unsold shoes.

//
Abaroa faced a maximum of more than 12 years in jail, but the judge gave him a five- to six-month suspended sentence. He will be on supervised probation for two years in Utah, where he now lives, works and raises his 10-month-old son, Kaiden.

Abaroa's wife, Janet, was found stabbed to death in the couple's Ferrand Drive home on April 26. Police say their investigation continues. They have identified no suspects.

Abaroa said little to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. He said his faith is helping him get through the tough times since his wife's murder.



Video Link

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

 

[ewwwinteresting]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

Abaroa Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement


(08/23/05 -- HILLSBOROUGH) - The widower of a murdered Durham woman spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday.

Raven Abaroa's comments came after he pleaded guilty to five counts embezzlement in Orange County. He ordered between 25 and 30 pairs of shoes from his former employer, Sports Endeavors, late last year. Abaroa, 25, had the merchandise delivered to his Durham home.

Valued at about $100 each, he sold the shoes and pocketed the money. Abaroa now has to pay the company the $9,600 he made and must return the unsold shoes.

// [url="http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/0/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif"]http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/0/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif[/url]
Abaroa faced a maximum of more than 12 years in jail, but the judge gave him a five- to six-month suspended sentence. He will be on supervised probation for two years in Utah, where he now lives, works and raises his 10-month-old son, Kaiden.

Abaroa's wife, Janet, was found stabbed to death in the couple's Ferrand Drive home on April 26. Police say their investigation continues. They have identified no suspects.

Abaroa said little to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. He said his faith is helping him get through the tough times since his wife's murder.



Video Link

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

WTH? 12 1/2 years to 5 to 6 month suspended sentence?? Geez, who is this judge? I guess if you are going to steal thousands of dollars from your employer, do it in North Carolina!!!

 

[lauriej]

WTH? 12 1/2 years to 5 to 6 month suspended sentence?? Geez, who is this judge? I guess if you are going to steal thousands of dollars from your employer, do it in North Carolina!!!

........or do it, (and then have your wife discovered murdered leaving you a single parent, )and then the judge has pity on you.............

 

[lauriej]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

Abaroa Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement


(08/23/05 -- HILLSBOROUGH) - The widower of a murdered Durham woman spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday.

Raven Abaroa's comments came after he pleaded guilty to five counts embezzlement in Orange County. He ordered between 25 and 30 pairs of shoes from his former employer, Sports Endeavors, late last year. Abaroa, 25, had the merchandise delivered to his Durham home.

Valued at about $100 each, he sold the shoes and pocketed the money. Abaroa now has to pay the company the $9,600 he made and must return the unsold shoes.

// [url="http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/0/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif"]http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1129/0/oascentral-s.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif[/url]
Abaroa faced a maximum of more than 12 years in jail, but the judge gave him a five- to six-month suspended sentence. He will be on supervised probation for two years in Utah, where he now lives, works and raises his 10-month-old son, Kaiden.

Abaroa's wife, Janet, was found stabbed to death in the couple's Ferrand Drive home on April 26. Police say their investigation continues. They have identified no suspects.

Abaroa said little to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. He said his faith is helping him get through the tough times since his wife's murder.



Video Link

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=state&id=3375496#

.............from the Sports Endeavors website:

http://www.soccer.com/sei/about.php

To be the world's leading authentic grassroots soccer and lacrosse company, building strong relationships in a vibrant, creative and ethical environment. To inform, inspire and innovate.

[font=verdana,arial]Sports Endeavors' home is a restored furniture factory in Hillsborough, N.C. -- 19 acres, 8 buildings, 125,000 square feet. The buildings are a mixture of restored natural wood work-spaces and state-of-the-art distribution and call center facilities. In the employee lounge staffers gather after hours and on weekends to watch live soccer and lacrosse matches on a wide-screen TV.[/font]
[font=verdana,arial] [/font]
[font=verdana,arial]..........sounds like raven and janet, soccer fans, had a DREAM job....what a jerk raven was to screw that up for both of them..........[/font]

 

[ewwwinteresting]

[font=verdana,arial]..........sounds like raven and janet, soccer fans, had a DREAM job....what a jerk raven was to screw that up for both of them..........[/font]

Now come on lj, he did HAVE to get his car repaired.

 

[lauriej]

Now come on lj, he did HAVE to get his car repaired.

.......true.........and i think the emphasis is probably on the wrong word in that case............

...he said that he stole to get his car repaired and .......( i forget, was it bills ?)

..undoubtedly, it was to get HIS car repaired.........or detailed..........or added to........or gassed up for a VX meet...........

 

[PrayersForMaura]

So it does look like those shoes Raven gave Janet for Christmas were stolen after all

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

Is it just me or did anyone else notice that Raven seemed to feel eyes boring into the back of his head from many more people than just those in the courtroom?

What a shifty-eyed guy in that video - he always seems to be almost peeking over his shoulder, and his expressions while he's talking about Kaiden at the end of the video seem almost contrived - like he's trying to look like a proud father but grieving husband would. I can't quite put my finger on it but I'm glad we finally have video of Raven (outside of his comfort zone) to analyze. Quick - someone save the video before Raven somehow makes that one disappear too!!!

abc11tv.com: Abaroa Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
(From terminatrixator's post.)

 

[PrayersForMaura]

It was interesting for me to learn that it was just shoes he embezzled, but I have been gone for quite a while and didn't read a lot about the embezzlement charges.... on the discussion thread #3 were were discussing the silver shoes that were left on on the porch of the house when Raven moved and one or our posters posted this:

06-02-2005, 02:31 PM
SouthEastSleuth

vbmenu_register("postmenu_664974", true);
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 337


eBay info
Stumbled across one other reference to Raven's eBay usage, under the "futbalrguy" eBay user name. I was using some new search engine someone told me about and had a hit on that name on some weird site in the UK. I can't really tell the actual purpose of the site, but it seems to contain links and info to auctions at various sites, including eBay. When I tried to bring up the site that referenced futbalrguy, nada. BUT, there was a choice to bring up the "archived" copy. BINGO.

Looks like he was selling soccer "boots" (as I gather that is the correct terminology for cleats in the soccer world)... You'll also notice in the link the reference to Durham, NC as the location.

This is the "tag" at the bottom of the item listing:

**the following message appears on all futbalrguy boot sales**

Feel free to email me with any questions. Items come brand new or like new unless otherwise noted in the description. In most cases, a "Like New" item is one that was worn only once and returned or was tried on in an outdoors environment and so it has slight blemishes only visible at very close inspection. My auctions will comment on any visual blemishes of this kind. Additionally, no shoes ship in original box.
​

****I accept Paypal as my method of payment and ship anywhere in the US****
​

International Bidders please email for shipping quote/negotiation​

- Interesting the line that "no shoes ship in original box." I wonder if that is due to the fact that the boxes may be labled or something as being from Eurosport? Just speculation.​

- According to this, PayPal is indeed the payment method of choice.​

- I actually found 6-7 of these particular auctions. All the same type of "boots", but in various sizes. All for sale around the 1st week of December 2004.​

Here's the link to the site itself, FYI:​

http://www.gigablast.com/get?q=%2Bsite:[url="http://www.aquanuke.com+%2b%22futbalrguy%22&c=main&rtq=0&d=20189562997/"]http://www.aquanuke.com+%2B%22futba...0&d=20189562997[/url]

I realize as Mr. A pointed out earlier that at this point what we need are facts as they relate to that night, the murder, etc. But, I do feel like all of this superfluous information does serve a purpose, in that the more we dig, the clearer the picture of Raven becomes. Is it a portrait of a murderer? Who knows. All we can do now is speculate. But, we DO know it is a portrait of an embezzler. And we are fairly certain that the portrait is one of an adulterer. It's all pieces of the puzzle...

 

[PrayersForMaura]

ok, wait ... the article lists that the shoes are VALUED at $100 each... is that what the buyer at the company buys them for and than resells them at $200 each to the public or do they buy them for less and sell them for $100??


I was figuring if he owes $9,600, that equates to 96 pair that he sold and he also has to return those he didn't sell.

From my posts above, the futbalrguy on ebay was selling shoes (surprise surprise. hindsight is 20/20!) Wonder what he sold them for?

 

[golfmom]

ok, wait ... the article lists that the shoes are VALUED at $100 each... is that what the buyer at the company buys them for and than resells them at $200 each to the public or do they buy them for less and sell them for $100??


I was figuring if he owes $9,600, that equates to 96 pair that he sold and he also has to return those he didn't sell.

From my posts above, the futbalrguy on ebay was selling shoes (surprise surprise. hindsight is 20/20!) Wonder what he sold them for?

I'm pretty sure the valued price is the normal approximate retail for the shoes. Oops, I was wrong, check out the link below!

eta: http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductP...&Section_Id=1120&Product_Id=138556&showcase=t

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I'm pretty sure the valued price is the normal approximate retail for the shoes.

wow, that's a decent price i guess. Nike shoes are around $120 to $140 for semi-good ones ...

 

[juliagoulia]

The latest article on the media thread states that Raven worked with a partner in the embezzelment scheme. This is new information, right? Why wasn't this person prosecuted as well?

 

[golfmom]

The latest article on the media thread states that Raven worked with a partner in the embezzelment scheme. This is new information, right? Why wasn't this person prosecuted as well?

Julia, I access the Durham article this morning and there was NO mention of a partner. They must have updated the information. But I hate their stupid website and it's hit or miss getting in there. Can you copy the pertinent info for us here?

 

[juliagoulia]

Hi Golfmom! Here is the post: http://websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=778651&postcount=28

And this is an excerpt:
Between July and December 2004, Abaroa and a partner ordered dozens of pairs of shoes but had them delivered to his address instead of the store. From there he would sell them, pocketing the cash. The store never received the merchandise or money for it, said Jacqueline Perez, an Orange County assistant district attorney.

I had never heard that before, so it really stuck out to me.

 

[terminatrixator]

Well, I can tell you right now, the partner was NOT Janet, with Raven's history, it may be a female though.

 

[juliagoulia]

Well, I can tell you right now, the partner was NOT Janet, with Raven's history, it may be a female though.

I agree it wasn't Janet. From what I have heard privately, she was VERY surprised when Raven was arrested.

I just wonder why this partner wasn't prosecuted. And I thought we had unconfirmed information that Raven's shipments were sent to his mother's house. Perhaps she was the partner? ???????

 

[Justgimmethetruth]

I'm thinking that the partner was the same person who was embezzeling from HP. That would just make sense. Raven was probably in on that deal, too. But, he escaped before being found out. This time, he got found out, but he took the fall, not implicating anyone else.

:waitasec: