Syracuse man accused of embezzling more than $1 million from trucking company

SALT LAKE CITY — A Syracuse man accused of depositing as much as $20,000 a week in company receipts into his own bank account for nearly four years is now facing federal embezzlement charges.

Nathan Lee Kapp, 36, worked as the controller for C.R. England Trucking's driving school in Utah, California, Texas and Indiana. One of his duties was to reconcile an account for tuition from students who often paid in advance and in cash. Students who paid in cash received a handwritten receipt, a copy of which, along with the money, was placed in a locked box that was delivered to Kapp.

Starting in January 2007, Kapp made hundreds of deposits to his personal account at America First Credit Union, totaling at least $1.3 million, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court. He is charged with four counts of money laundering and one count of mail fraud.

Kapp, according to the indictment, used some of the money to buy Lexus, Acura and Infiniti luxury cars, as well as a house, including high-end improvements to the kitchen.

Questioned once by an America First Credit Union employee about the multiple weekly deposits, Kapp allegedly said he owned a business selling beach towels and sunglasses. Kapp's income tax returns did not reflect wages from a business other than C.R. England, the indictment states.

In interview with an IRS agent, Kapp "admitted that he embezzled substantially all of the cash that he was tasked with accounting for in his job" at the trucking company, the indictment states.

Kapp made an initial appearance in court Wednesday. The maximum penalty for mail fraud is 20 years in federal prison, while the four money laundering counts carry up to 10 years in prison.

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