Former North Carolina Ford dealership employee accused of embezzlement

A grand jury's Aug. 7 indictment led to the arrest of a former dealership employee in North Carolina, according to the Craven County Clerk of Superior Court office.

Rebecca Thorn is accused of embezzling funds "well in excess of $300,000" from Riverside Ford in Havelock, N.C., a law enforcement official confirmed to Automotive News.

Maj. David McFadyen of the Craven County Sheriff's Office, which helped conduct the investigation, said Thorn worked as a human resource accounting clerk at the store, owned by Riverside Automotive Group of New Bern, N.C.

Riverside COO Mike Cass said in an email to Automotive News that the group couldn't comment.

"As you can imagine, the legal process is lengthy and until it has been adjudicated, no one from our organization is authorized to comment," Cass wrote.

Thorn does not yet have a lawyer, according to the clerk's office, and Automotive News could not immediately reach Thorn.

McFadyen said the dealership noticed bank deposit irregularities and reported it to the sheriff's department, prompting an investigation.

"They compared the corporation bank deposit records with the financial books from that specific dealership … and identified that embezzlement occurred over a period between December of 2018 and March of 2023," McFadyen said. "She was indicted for three separate counts of embezzlement in excess of $100,000."

Thorn made her $200,000 bail and was released Aug. 10, the same day she was arrested, according to the clerk's office.

Thorn's next court date is set for the week of Sept. 26.

A representative of the clerk's office said it could not comment on any possible penalties Thorn could face, and calls to the district attorney's office were not immediately returned.

McFadyen said they see embezzlement cases often enough in the area, which is near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in the small military town.

"Embezzlements are certainly not unique," McFadyen said. "The six-figure ones, the ones over six figures, are more rare, but they do occur."