The big drugmaker was duped by one of its own employees, who allegedly reaped more than $370,000 by billing Pfizer for work that her husband, who ran a struggling landscaping business, never performed. And Carol Jones, a 44-year-old office manager in the UK, charged up to 15 times the going rate for such things as refurbishment, construction and maintainence work.
But there's more. Prosecutors say the couple funded their wedding reception at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire by using reward points from the Pfizer bonus scheme that Jones fraudulently paid herself. Peckforton is promoted as a grade I listed building, built in the 1840s in the style of a medieval castle that is set on a hill above the rolling Cheshire plain, within protected woodland inhabited by wildlife (see here).
The couple was also accused of using a Pfizer credit card to pay for holidays in the Dominican Republic. Nicholas Johnson, the prosecutor at Manchester Crown Court, tells The Manchester Evening News that, "ultimately Pfizer has been left out of pocket to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds." How did she get away with it? By allegedly keeping her relationship 'under the radar.' She denies all charges.
Gives new meaning to keeping up with the Joneses, yes?
5 Comments
"(..)built in the 1840s in the style of a medieval castle (...) ."
In other words this was fake too?
This is quite a Friday line-up Ed. Don't have anything to make us smile?
It couldn't have happened to a nicer company. Breaks my heart that Pfizer was ripped off.
I knew a QA director that got his cottage renovated under something very similar...or so they say.
But it makes me wonder...is Pfizer upset becuase the lady did all this or because someone higher up didnt think to do it first?
she will get jail time for 370,000 scam
pfizer get to sign a corporate agreement for a billions dollar scam and possible associated deaths.
I'm ashamed to say it, but I agree with Ms. Pringle and anon.
Face it, that amount of cash means nothing to Pfizer. They just want to dissuade others from doing as she did.