Kenyan man charged with theft in US

A Kenyan man has been charged with siphoning more than $60,000 (Sh5.2 Million) from a US dental practice where he worked as a business manager.

Peter Ngunyi, 33, turned himself into the Fulton County Jail last week on theft charges after doctors at Atlanta Periodontal specialty reported that he had embezzled money from their business.

Sandy Springs police spokeswoman Forrest Bohannon told the Nation that the complainants believe Mr Ngunyi used his position as a consultant to commit the fraud. “They have reported that he used an American Express card and some fraudulent payroll activity in order to embezzle the money.”

Police records show that Ngunyi, who provided advertising and marketing services to the business, made unauthorized payments to his own company and to several marketing sites, including GoDaddy.com and Google Adwords.

“He had access to the credit cards and payroll of the business,” said Bohannon.

Ngunyi’s lawyer, Jeff Brickman, told a media briefing in Atlanta that his client immediately turned himself into the jail upon learning of a warrant for his arrest.

The lawyer says there must have been a misunderstanding between his client and the doctors.

“This is a purely contractual matter and has no business being in the criminal courts,” Brickman said.

Brickman also expressed disappointment that police were quick to take out warrants against Ngunyi without first getting his side of the story. “I am talking to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office about having the case dismissed so that it can be handled in civil court.”

The Fulton County Jail records show that Ngunyi posted a $20,000 (Sh 174,000) bond and is now out on bail.