LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A former employee of a Las Vegas car dealership is accused of stealing over $1.6 million through gift cards.
FOX5 obtained the arrest report for Mark Olson. He faces a charge of money laundering and theft over $100K.
Police said they were notified by Findlay Kia Automotive on Dec. 29, 2023 of embezzlement. The report says Olson stole $1.7 million over the course of several years through an electronic gift card program.
Olson was hired in 2014 as the internet director. He was promoted to sales manager in 2018. In 2021, he was promoted to general sales manager.
Findlay told police Olson was suspended from the job in Nov. 2023 because he failed to do a drug test. The next month, he was fired for fraud-related criminal activity involving the sales of vehicles.
Since Olson oversaw the marketing, Findlay held a meeting to discuss how to move forward. They discovered “major billing expenses” that was being paid to Urban Science each month. The expenses were unknown because Olson would handle the invoicing.
Findlay met with Urban Science and learned that gift cards were being provided to customers, the arrest report said.
Through further investigation, Las Vegas police learned that the gift cards were being sent to Olson. Urban Sciences said there were 459 different email addresses used to send the gift cards. They would range from $15 to $500.
Police learned Olson had 6 PayPal accounts. When Findlay completed a full forensic accounting audit, they learned 3,350 gift cards amounting to $500 were redeemed for a total of $1,675,000.
When police interviewed the suspect, he said he was paying out “bonuses” to other people when asked about the gift cards. He then asked for a lawyer.
According to Las Vegas Justice Court records, Olson posted bond and has a status check on Feb. 20 at 8:30 a.m.
FOX5 asked for a statement from Findlay Automotive Group. Tyler Corder, CFO, said the group addressed the issue as soon as it was identified and no customer funds were impacted or used during the alleged scheme.
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