Chesterfield Man Steals From Company As Co-Workers Laid Off

CHESTERFIELD, MO — Ramon "Trey" Luina III, the former chief financial officer of CMS Communications INC, a telecommunications company, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison and ordered to repay more than $2 million, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Court documents indicate he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from that company, even as his co-workers — including his father-in-law — were losing their jobs. "He simply didn't care," the company's vice president of operations and human resources said. Luina spent much of the money on European vacations, expensive cars, and a lake house, in addition to running up a $1 million credit card bill. The judge called it "pure greed."

Altogether, 26 employees lost their jobs as the company tried to cut costs. According to the Post-Dispatch:

Luina apologized in court, saying that his “actions are not who I am.”

His attorney, Joel Schwartz, said that Luina was a “tremendous” father and husband and a man of faith, who had vowed to “make amends.” Luina has already repaid $535,000, Schwartz said.

Whether that apology is enough, only his victims can say. Read more from the Post-Dispatch.

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