Woman Stole $393K From Her Plymouth Twp. Employer: DA

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, PA — An employee who stole more than $393,000 from her Plymouth Township company over the course of nearly five years has been arrested, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Darby Ibarguen, 45, of Chesterbrook, faces numerous felony charges after police said she abused her position as controller at Apparel Business Systems.

The thefts occurred over a period beginning in Sept. 2015 and continuing until March 2020 when the theft was discovered, authorities said.

As controller, Ibarguen was in charge of payroll processing and accounts payable, giving her access to alter numerous records, according to the DA's Office.

She utilized various methods to carry out the thefts, including forging the signatures of two company executives to write herself 21 checks, totaling $19,000. She also increased her bi-weekly salary regularly, making an extra $112,756 over that five year period, police said.

Finally, she made direct payments or transfers to a variety of places: 92 payments to her personal credit card ($74,778), to her private bank acount ($181,895), and to pay her Comcast cable bill 26 times ($5,065).

Ibarguen faces charges of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, forgery, theft by unlawful taking, and theft by deception.

She was released on $400,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 22.