Woman Accused Of Stealing $635K From Employer

ALPHARETTA, GA -- A Cherokee County woman has been charged with computer theft after she allegedly stole more than $630,000 from her employer over a nearly two-year period. The investigation into Leslie Rebecca Blakeney's actions began in March when Alpharetta police met with a manager at New Signature, who raised concerns about Blakeney's actions.

New Signature uses Microsoft-based technology solutions to help companies "transform their business" for the better, its website states. Along with Alpharetta, the company has offices in Washington, D.C., London, Toronto, Durham, North Carolina, and New York City.

According to an incident report released by the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, the employee said Blakeney, 38, was terminated after deleting company files from the computer of a subordinate. After the termination and an analysis of New Signature's accounts, the company believed Blakeney used company noney to make personal purchases between Nov. 20, 2015, and Feb. 9, 2017, the report states.

The report also said the company was contacted by an attorney claiming to represent Blakeney to "discuss and resolve a situation" with New Signature. At the time, the manager at New Signature told police it was unclear how the company would proceed, as the board would have to meet with its counsel to get advice before moving forward.

However, the investigation picked up steam on June 9 when the Alpharetta detective received an email from the New Signature manager who said he wanted to file charges against Blakeney due to the theft of $635,788.59 from company accounts, the report goes on to say.

Months after receiving the email, Alpharetta detectives resumed the investigation and on Nov. 20 charged Blakeney, a Woodstock resident, with computer theft. Alpharetta police spokesperson Jason Muenzer said the computer theft charge covers the theft of the suspected dollar amount taken. Additional charges could be added by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, he added.

Muenzer also said the gap between June and Blakeney's Nov. 20 arrest was lengthy because detectives had to locate and "follow the rather large paper trail."

"Our detectives then had to get financial records from these organizations and such," he added.

Blakeney was released Nov. 21 on a $150,000 signature bond. The Alpharetta police incident report lists Blakeney's employer as Cherokee Christian Schools. According to the school's website, Blakeney teaches fourth grade at the Woodstock-based institution. Patch also reached out to the school to get a statement on the allegations against the educator.

Image via Fulton County Sheriff's Office