5 Crazy Crime Stories Involving Harley-Davidson Employees
Bad things sometimes happen to good people and here are some crazy things that have happened to Harley Davidson employees.
1. Mo' Company, Mo' Money
For four years, a Harley-Davidson motor company employee at the Milwaukee headquarters took great advantage of the company's employee tuition reimbursement program. Instead of actually taking classes, she enrolled, then dropped the courses after the company made the payment, and then she would take the refund from the school. This little scam was quite the lucrative business for her as she inflated her own bank account by nearly $164,000. Harley Davidson had a really nice benefit going there; hopefully, this employee did not ruin it for the other employees earnestly working on their educational advancements. You can see the original news story on CBS 58 Milwaukee.
2. The Whistleblower
At a Harley-Davidson dealership in Kauai, HI an employee was giving some friendly advice to his fellow employees about discrimination claims against the dealership. When management heard about this, the employee was quickly fired by dealership, but the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission protects employees from being retaliated against by the employer for giving out advice on workplace rights. EEOC case 1:16-cv-00521 is pending before the U.S. District Court for Hawaii against the dealership and management.
3. Back Stabbers
You typically don't consider a motorcycle showroom a dangerous place to work, with a paper cut being the worst you'd expect. But, with an unclear motive, a 41 year old Evington, VA woman walked into the Lynchburg, VA Harley-Davidson dealership to have a conversation with a male employee. There is no telling if it was a romantic dispute or if he owed her money, but the conversation turned sour and became a full-on fight. When the man turned around to walk away, Angel Cox whipped out a knife and stabbed the employee right in the back. No word on if the knife was an officially licensed Harley-Davidson collectible, but the injuries were non-life threatening. You can read the more detailed report from WSET 13 news.
4. The DIY Golden Parachute
Perhaps the award for best retirement plan goes to Sherry Garner, a former Harley-Davidson Federal Credit Union Chief Executive Officer. While she was serving in that role, which comes with a nice salary and full benefits including a 401K, she apparently she managed to feather her nest by skimming off the top and filing fraudulent paperwork. The H-D credit union figures that from 2010 to 2013 she embezzled over $252,000, which she was charged with, along with federal tax evasion charges. If convicted on all counts she may be facing a $350,000 fine, plus 15 years of her retirement in Federal prison. You can read all about it on the Fox 43 news site.
5. One Piece at a Time
Johnny Cash famously sang about building a whole Cadillac "One Piece at a Time" by sneaking parts out of the factory, and Doug Castle of Indiana must have heard that song as a child. He started out by wearing baggy pants to the Harley warehouse he worked in and leaving with small parts in his pants pockets. Eventually he got bolder and diverted entire shipments of parts to his home address instead of their intended location. In all, by the time he was caught 18 months later, he had stolen and sold on eBay over $350,000 worth of parts. Because this crime involved interstate shipments as well, he now has to deal with federal charges. You can read all about it in the local Milwaukee paper.
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