SAN MATEO (KRON)– A Pacifica accountant was arrested for allegedly embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a Peninsula restaurant owner, according to San Mateo County sheriff officials.
Mark Christopher Sturm, the founder of Mark Sturm MBA Inc. in Half Moon Bay, was arrested Thursday at his business.
The restaurant owner hired Sturm to provide accounting, payroll and tax services for three restaurants.
When he started noticing discrepancies in the bank accounts, Sturm was audited.
The audit showed that Sturm allegedly embezzled more that $55,000 from the accounts, and did not pay over $60,000 in state and federal income taxes, sheriff’s officials said.
A $100,000 dollar warrant was put out for his arrest.
Eventually, he was booked into a county jail in Redwood City.
Deputies are looking for anyone else possibly victimized by Sturm’s accounting practices. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Detective Gaby Chaghouri at (650) 259-2314 or gchaghourismcgov.org. People wishing to remain anonymous can call the sheriff’s office’s anonymous tip line at (800) 547-2700.