A Brooklyn woman suspected of stealing $100,000 from the money counting room at a Brinks facility was arrested Thursday after she rebuffed the company’s offer to return the cash, no questions asked.
Stephanie Jorge, 26, left work two hours early without permission on April 7 while working the overnight shift at the heavily-guarded warehouse on Kent Ave. in Williamsburg — and she has not been back since.
The security manager reviewed the surveillance video of the room where Jorge counted cash for re-filling ATM machines at Chase Bank and made a shocking discovery, authorities said.
The video shows Jorge taking off her work smock and covering stacks of bundles of cash, according to the complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
“Approximately 30 minutes later, the video shows Jorge picked up her smock from the rack, tucked it under her arm and quickly exited the building,” FBI special agent Elisabeth Wheeler stated in the complaint.
She allegedly made off with ten bundles of $10,000 each.
On April 8, the security manager called Jorge and asked her about the missing money, offering her the opportunity to return it to Brinks. They set up a meeting the following day and the manager told her to bring the cash.
“‘OK, I will,'” she replied, according to the complaint.
But Jorge did not show up for the meeting, and subsequent talks with two lawyers claiming to represent her did not pan out. FBI agents executed a search warrant at Jorge’s apartment in Bushwick, but did not recover the cash.
Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Karen Koniuszy cleverly suggested that Jorge be required to put up $100,000 — in cash — for her release.
“If she were to do that, wouldn’t that be evidence of guilt?” Magistrate Ramon Reyes asked.
Defense lawyer Michael Schneider opposed that plan, arguing that prosecutors could then put Jorge in front of a grand jury to explain where the money came from.
Reyes released the mother of two children on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
