Second Former Top Official Of Rochester Firm Charged With Theft

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Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) -  A second former high-ranking official of a Rochester-based company has been charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her employer.

The case against 54-year-old Loretta Taylor of St. Charles was filed Wednesday.

Taylor was the financial controller for Reichel Foods when the alleged criminal activity occurred.

Her employment ended last year a few months after her boss was fired. Her boss was Thomas Wiechmann who was the second-ranking officer for Reichel when the huge loss was discovered. He was charged last September.

The criminal complaint against Taylor includes allegations that are similar to the one filed against Wiechmann. The two are accused of using company credit cards for their personal use and making hundreds of unauthorized transactions over a period of several years.

The complaint says their bills were not being paid and one of the credit card companies canceled the cards in 2019, “ leaving Reichel Foods with a significant debt.” The two are also accused of redeeming the credit card member rewards for their own use, which totaled more than $80,000.

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The criminal complaint against Wiechmann was amended Wednesday to include new information contained in Taylor’s case. He is scheduled to attend an evidentiary hearing next month.

Taylor has been ordered to appear for arraignment on June 28.