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Press Release

Former Chief Finance Officer Sentenced To 51 Months in Prison For Stealing Approximately $4 Million From His Employer

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On Wednesday, May 6, 2015, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. sentenced Nathan Thomas Mroz, 40, of Charlotte, to 51 months in prison and to two years of supervised release in connection with his scheme to steal money from his former employer, Andersen Heating & Cooling (Andersen), announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.   In April 2014, Mroz, the former Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for Andersen, a Mint Hill-based HVAC company, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with his scheme.  Judge Conrad also ordered Mroz to pay approximately $4,000,000 in restitution.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division.

According to filed court documents and court proceedings, from 2005 to 2013, Mroz was employed by Andersen as financial controller and later as CFO and had access to the company’s funds and books and records.  Court records show that over the course of his employment, Mroz exploited his position to create fake accounts payable invoices and to generate corresponding payments, which Mroz directed to himself or mailed to various credit cards he maintained. According to court documents, to cover up his scheme, Mroz fraudulently categorized the bogus company payments as legitimate business expenses in the company’s books and records. Court records reflect that Mroz spent the stolen money on personal expenditures, including vacations to Disneyland and Europe, luxury vehicles, private school tuition, jewelry, and a $115,000 home for his nanny, among others.  In all, court documents indicate that Morz stole approximately $4 million from Andersen.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Conrad noted that Mroz “abused his position of trust with respect to his controller and CFO functions” and that the execution of the scheme required “hundreds of acts of fraud and deceit” by Mroz.  Judge Conrad stressed the “devastating harm to the company” as a result of Mroz’s greed and the “calamitous effect of Mroz’s scheme on innocent groups of people.”

Judge Conrad also ordered defendant to forfeit a Charlotte residence that he had used stolen money to purchase for use by his nanny, as well as diamond jewelry valued at approximately $40,000.  The forfeiture was in addition to a payment in excess of $116,000 that defendant already made as restitution pursuant to his plea agreement.

Following the sentencing hearing Mroz was released on bond. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rose credited the FBI for the investigation leading to today’s sentence. She also thanked the Mint Hill Police Department for their invaluable assistance throughout the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark T. Odulio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

Updated May 7, 2015