Woman admitted to stealing money, agreed to payback plan, police say
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A former administrative assistant at a health and wellness company is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in cash deposits, documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained said.
Tracy Ellis-Malone faces one charge of embezzlement where the value exceeds $3,500, records showed. An audit found more than $55,000 in cash deposits missing from her employer’s account, police said.
In December 2019, an employee at E7 Health, which identifies itself as a health and wellness company, called police to report possible embezzlement. The employee alleged Ellis-Malone had taken “various deposit slips under false pretenses,” documents said.
A month before, the company’s bookkeeper informed an employee that cash deposits were missing, documents said. Ellis-Malone told the employee “that almost all the deposits were accounted for and the remainders were in the company’s safe and would be deposited by her by the end of that week,” documents said.
On Nov. 17, 2019, someone broke into the company’s office near Windmill Lane and Bermuda Road, police said. Ellis-Malone was then out of the office for several days, officers said. When she returned, the employee told her $8,500 was missing from the prior week, documents said.
The employee later confronted Ellis-Malone again. Ellis-Malone then cried and admitted to taking the money, police wrote in the documents. The employee informed police that the company offered to provide cash advances to assist Ellis-Malone. After the admission, the employee fired Ellis-Malone, police said.
Bank statements later revealed more than $50,000 was missing in cash deposits from the fall of 2019, documents said. In all, the audit discovered a loss of $55,378 involving nearly 100 cash deposits from as early as May 2018, police said.
Police said the company hired Ellis-Malone on May 9, 2018. The first outstanding cash deposit is dated May 24, 2018, police said.
Upon her termination, Ellis-Malone signed a repayment agreement for $25,000, documents said. She later signed a confession of judgment, a legal document through district court, saying she admitted to stealing the money and that the company would not pursue charges if she paid back some of the stolen funds.,
Ellis-Malone was previously convicted of attempted theft in Nevada in 2012, police said.
When speaking with investigators, Ellis-Malone said she believed she had stolen no more than $500, documents said.
A judge issued a warrant for Ellis-Malone’s arrest in August 2020. Las Vegas Metro police arrested her last weekend. It was unclear what led to the delay and recent arrest. The judge had set bail when issuing the warrant at $5,000. Ellis-Malone posted bond and was due in court in January.