An Andover woman went on a nearly $1 million spending spree with her employer's credit card over a 10-year stretch, paying for far-flung travel, tanning and salon services, and other indulgences, according to charges.
Kathryn L. Gilgenbach, 38, was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with seven counts of theft by swindle in connection with the scheme that stretched from 2009 until 2019, even after she was fired from her accounting position with a wheelchair accessibility van dealer in Roseville.
Gilgenbach was charged by summons and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 24. She declined to be interviewed by law enforcement, the criminal complaint read. She told the Star Tribune on Wednesday that she was unaware of the charges and not ready to comment.
According to the complaint:
Gilgenbach's boss at IMED Mobility, Ron Iverson, directed her in 2009 or 2010 to close out a credit card issued by warehouse-style retailer Costco and go with an American Express card.
After that, Iverson "never saw another bill and didn't think twice about it," the charges read.
The complaint pointed out that "she was a trusted employee."
When IMED merged with another company in 2019, new accounting personnel told Iverson that the Costco account was never closed.
