Arizona man accused of using $476K in employer’s funds for strippers

ST. LOUIS — An Arizona man is accused in a federal indictment of defrauding his St. Louis-area employer by misusing a company credit card to charge nearly a half million dollars, much of it to lavish upon online exotic dancers.

Forty-year-old John David Berrett of Gilbert, Arizona, was indicted last week on five wire-fraud counts.

Authorities say Berrett was an Internet technology architect for Maryland Heights-based World Wide Technology Inc. when he falsified invoices totaling $476,000 for various payments and gifts to strippers on a website. That alleged wrongdoing happened between September 2013 and last October.

The indictment alleges that Berrett gave one exotic dancer about $27,000 to pay for her college tuition, buy new tires and finance her parents’ utility bill.

Online court records don’t show whether Berrett has an attorney.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.