Guilty pleas in $8.4 million theft case

Guilty pleas in $8.4 million theft case

AKRON, Ohio (AP) _ A man, his girlfriend and his mother pleaded guilty Friday in the theft of about $8.4 million from an armored car company where he worked near Youngstown.

Roger Dillon, 23, and his girlfriend, Nicole Boyd, 25, both of Youngstown, admitted earlier to investigators to stealing the money to escape financial hardship and make a better life.

Dillon and Boyd pleaded guilty to bank larceny, conspiracy to pull off the scheme and taking the money out of state. Each faces up to 25 years in prison at their sentencing in May.

Dillon’s mother, Sharon Lee Gregory, 49, of Youngstown, could get up to 15 years after pleading guilty to charges that she conspired with the two and helped the couple make their getaway with the money to West Virginia.

The FBI has said the theft at AT Systems was timed so that large amounts of money would be available after the busy post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend.

Dillon had been employed by the company for about nine months as a driver/messenger. He has said in court documents that he stole the cash and checks from a company building using another employee’s security code on Nov. 26.

About $6.7 million in cash was taken, according to an FBI agent who detailed the allegations in court in January. The rest was in checks.

Read more in Saturday’s Vindicator and at Vindy.com