Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A former employee of a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Utah County was charged recently with embezzling money from the company for several years.
Timothy Scott Claybaugh, 36, of Lehi, was charged July 12 in 4th District Court with two counts of money laundering and three counts of theft, all second-degree felonies.
"It was found that Timothy purchased vast amounts of unauthorized personal items including gift cards, groceries, appliances, flowers for his wife, construction tools and materials to finish his basement, toys, a bike, diapers, furniture, electronics, landscape materials, a barn door, fast food, candy and energy drinks. The amount Timothy has spent on his company card in a two-year time period is a staggering $148,794.11," according to charging documents.
Claybaugh also purchased 416 gift cards for more than $28,000, which prosecutors suspect he used to fund trips to New York, Costa Rica and Disneyland, the charges state.
Claybaugh also wrote more than $62,000 in reimbursement checks to himself, according to charging documents. That was discovered shortly after he left the company and several checks were discovered in the accounts payable system made out to Claybaugh, according to the charges.
"This was alarming and unusual because an administrator should not be issuing checks to himself and signing them without corporate approval," the charges state. "This further lead to the discovery of a massive number of fraudulent and personal expense charges on (accounts payable) reimbursement checks made payable to Timothy."
In addition, investigators discovered Claybaugh had stolen about $18,700 in "petty cash" since he began working there, the charges state.
Claybaugh was the administrator over Stonehenge of Orem in charge of finances. Stonehenge, which offers short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation, has seven locations. Claybaugh's alleged embezzlement was discovered shortly after he resigned to work for another company, the charges state.
He is scheduled to be back in court on Aug. 12.
