Never trust a junkie (or gambler)

The Sopranos episode in which Tony Soprano states, “Never trust a junkie,” applies equally to gamblers. While severing the employment of my business manager, I notified relevant parties that he was no longer employed by me. I directed the landlord’s office to contact me directly regarding any property-related matters.

Shortly thereafter, the landlord’s office informed me of an outstanding rent balance. This was unexpected, as I had given the manager sealed envelopes containing the exact payment amounts for delivery. The landlord subsequently provided an account spreadsheet. The dates on which I had transmitted the payments did not match the dates of receipt by the landlord. The manager had been delaying deposits and retaining portions of the funds.

To conceal the shortfall, he altered the landlord’s power bill—apparently through image editing—to inflate the amount charged and offset the difference. It is unclear how long this practice could have continued, given that a running balance can be carried forward only for a limited period.

The now, former manager had left his Viber account logged in on the company-issued laptop. The message history contained his communications with the landlord’s office, providing documentation of the transactions. This evidence is sufficient to support the filing of charges.

I must still issue the required formal notices of termination. Failure to do so could expose me to a claim of unjust dismissal before a labor board. Conversely, should the manager initiate such a claim, I will file the corresponding charges. Attendance at a labor-board hearing is incompatible with incarceration.

The discovery is disappointing. It is preferable, however, that the amount involved is approximately two hundred dollars rather than a substantially larger sum.

I was not aware of his online gambling until a couple days ago.  Which explains the missing money and unexcused absences.