Plymouth Man Stole $1M, Posed As Government Agencies For 14 Years: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS — A Plymouth man is accused of running a 14-year scheme to steal more than $1 million from his employer, using fake invoices, bogus expense reports, and even impersonating government agencies, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Christopher Erik Septon, 52, is charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday.

According to the indictment, Septon worked for Ellis Properties, a family-run commercial real estate business in Minneapolis, from 2010 until 2024, when the alleged theft was discovered.

In his role, he had the authority to use company funds to pay vendors, contractors, and other third parties.

Prosecutors say he abused that authority by charging more than $800,000 on the company credit card and directing the payments to his own accounts, hiding them with false transaction memos. He also allegedly obtained reimbursement checks for expenses he never paid, using fake invoices and emails to convince staff to issue the payments.

As part of the scheme, Septon impersonated the City of Minneapolis, the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to trick the company into sending him money, prosecutors said.

In total, he’s accused of stealing more than $1 million, moving hundreds of thousands through various accounts before keeping the cash