Former Employees Allegedly Steal More than $50K from ‘Green Earth’

Two Lansdale residents were charged Thursday with theft, criminal conspiracy and related charges after they allegedly stole more than $50,000 from their former employer, a Plymouth Township-based business.

According to police, Paul Aaron Jarvis, 38; and Anne Marie Butler, 37, both of the 1900 block of Ryans Run, stole from Green Earth Enterprises, in the 1300 block of Conshohocken Road, mostly by manipulating payroll records.

Butler was the company’s bookkeeper and was employed with the company since December 2009; Jarvis was a sales representative for the company and was hired in January 2012. Both were recently fired.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Jarvis racked up more than $6,600 in unauthorized purchases on a company debit card by making personal purchases at restaurants, supermarkets and two firearms retailers. Some of the purchases would then be “coded” in the bookkeeping system by Butler as office-related expenses, the affidavit said.

Being the bookkeeper, Butler did not deduct healthcare costs from her check, costing the company more than $3,000 in 2013, according to the affidavit; she also overpaid Jarvis more than $3,700 in wages this year.

Last year, Butler overpaid herself more than $5,700 in wages and did not deduct $2,700 in healthcare costs; she also manipulated the payroll system to the tune of about $6,800 to benefit Jarvis, according to the affidavit.

In 2010 and 2011, Butler allegedly stole more than $24,000 in wages, unauthorized mileage reimbursements, time clock alterations and neglected healthcare deductions. Additionally, it is suspected that Butler has not deposited more than $6,000 in cash since January 2010, according to the affidavit. 

The total of theft is in excess of $50,000, according to the affidavit.

On Aug. 24, Jarvis admitted to using the company credit card for personal expenses; he also admitted to changing the "type of expense" in the bookkeeping software, according to the affidavit.

A preliminary hearing for Jarvis and Butler is scheduled for Thursday at 9:15 a.m. in front of District Justice Francis Bernhardt.