A Mayfield Heights man is accused of stealing more than $677,000 from his former employer, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office.

Geno Trunzo, 51, was indicted on one count of making or possessing forged securities of private entities and four counts of money laundering.

Trunzo worked for a company that engaged in the retail sale of mattresses and bedding supplies from 2004 until December 2014. Trunzo was promoted to be the company’s controller in late 2005. In this role, he managed the company’s accounts payable , was responsible for paying the company’s business expenses and had access to the company’s books, records, checks and credit lines, according to the indictment.

Trunzo forged and created approximately 431 checks drawn on the company’s accounts by affixing, without authorization, a stamped image of the name of an authorized signer of the checks. Trunzo made the checks payable to himself and to third-party payees for his personal benefit, causing a loss to the company of approximately $677,131, according to the indictment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hollingsworth following an investigation by the FBI.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.