UC Berkeley mailroom clerk charged with embezzlement
(KTVU) Berkeley - This is KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee's Rap Sheet blog for March 22, 2018:
EX-CAL STUDENT HELD IN PAYROLL CHECK THEFT: A UC Berkeley mailroom clerk has been charged with intercepting and stealing payroll checks made out to student workers, court records show.
Nicholas Ross, 23, of Oakland is accused of stealing 65 checks worth $12,000 from as many as 36 victims between August of last year and this month, according to UC Berkeley police. Some of the victims did not even know they were missing checks that had been mailed to them, authorities said.
Ross surrendered Tuesday at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on an $80,000 warrant and was expected to be released on his own recognizance.
Alameda County prosecutors have charged Ross with embezzlement, grand theft and receiving stolen property. Ross is due to enter a plea on April 12.
Ross was a UC Berkeley student at one point but does not appear to be one currently, police said.
Ross had access to mailboxes belonging to students who lived at the Foothill and Stern residential housing complex in the hills on campus, authorities said.
Investigators learned that the payroll checks had been deposited into a Bank of America account held by Ross, according to an affidavit filed by UC Berkeley police Detective Karla Rush.
Video surveillance showed Ross at various ATMs depositing the stolen payroll checks, Rush wrote, adding she identified him through his student ID, driver's license and photos on his Facebook page.
Authorities say there may be more victims who have yet to come forward. Anyone with information or believes he or she may be missing checks is asked to call Detective Rush at (510) 642-0482.