By: Aaron Kim, Insider Threat Analyst
Vika Latai Moa has pleaded guilty to charges related to embezzling millions of dollars from Savino USA, a global logistics and freight forwarding company based in Florence, Italy. According to authorities, Moa worked as an operations manager at Savino USA from June 2016 to October 2019. Part of Moa’s responsibilities were selecting and paying out third party trucking companies.
“Between June 2016, and October 2019, Ms. Moa falsely represented to Savino USA employees that invoices for trucking services were owed, which caused Savino USA to pay more than $2.6 million to a bank account to which she had access. For instance, as part of her scheme to misappropriate funds from Savino USA, Ms. Moa misrepresented to Savino USA employees that a fictitious business was an actual transportation company. She created fraudulent invoices for trucking services that the fictitious business purportedly provided to Savino USA. Ms. Moa then directed Savino USA to pay the fictitious business based on these false invoices, knowing full well that the company did not perform any services for Savino USA, as it was not a real business and did not have any operations”, The U.S. Attorney’s office stated.
Savino USA, headquartered in New Jersey, is the American subsidiary of Savino Del Bene S.p.A., a global logistics and freight forwarding company based in Florence, Italy. Among other things, Savino USA provides transportation services to its customers in the United States by subcontracting local deliveries to third-party trucking companies.
Moa is facing up to 20 years in federal prison and has agreed to pay $2,623,888.44 in restitution.
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