A former Mars Wrigley employee who managed on-site recycling programs at a production facility will serve prison time after he admitted to stealing more than $1 million in recycled commodity revenues.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia this month announced that Michael Mayfield received a three-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution for his part in a multi-year fraud. Mayfield last summer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The scheme occurred while Mayfield was an environmental manager overseeing recycling at the Mars factory in Flowery Branch, Georgia, according to court documents. Recyclables generated at the plant were collected by a contracted hauler who processed and sold the recyclables. Then the hauler returned a portion of the commodity value to Mars.
But instead of that money going back to the Mars facility, Mayfield directed the commodity payments to go to a shell company he had registered. He used the money for personal purposes, including hunting trips and a sizable church donation. In a separate scheme, Mayfield and an accomplice created false invoices showing fake equipment purchases at the factory, and when Mars provided payment, Mayfield used that money for additional personal use.
