(New York, NY) — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of Marque Gumbs, 32, for stealing more than $1.5 million worth of printing toner cartridges from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (“MSK”) in Midtown Manhattan. Gumbs is charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the First Degree.[1] The theft occurred between September 27, 2007 and August 27, 2010.
“More than $1.5 million intended for the operation of a world-renowned health care facility was instead squandered on the defendant’s pursuit of a luxurious lifestyle,” said District Attorney Vance. “To victimize an organization dedicated to saving lives is deplorable. I commend our Special Prosecutions Bureau for its swift work on this case.”
According to documents filed in court, Gumbs was employed by MSK since 1999, first as a housekeeper/building service aide. In 2002, the defendant was promoted to the position of a receiving clerk and, in this capacity, one of his main responsibilities was to order toner cartridges for the MSK building located at 160 East 53rd Street in Manhattan. Beginning in September 2007, MSK ordered toner exclusively from Office Depot. To complete an order, Gumbs used an MSK computer system, which required him to use his personal log-in and password; he then logged on to another password-protected Office Depot Web site. Once Office Depot received an electronic order, an email confirmation was immediately sent to Gumbs’ MSK email address. The delivery was typically made within 24 hours, and Gumbs would sign a handheld device acknowledging receipt of the order. This signature triggered an invoice to be sent from Office Depot to MSK. MSK then automatically paid this invoice electronically, without human intervention.
As stated in court documents, according to MSK’s delivery procedure, office supplies are supposed to be brought to the second floor of the hospital receiving area by the delivery driver, and the receipt is signed at that location. However, Gumbs instructed the delivery drivers to call his cell phone when they arrived at MSK so that he could meet them at the curb to accept delivery. Gumbs then diverted the toner to a shared garbage area where it could be held and moved at a later time. From approximately September 27, 2007, to August 27, 2010, Gumbs ordered and diverted more than $1.5 million worth of toner from Office Depot, which was incompatible with any machine in MSK’s East 53rd Street building, meaning that the toner cartridges did not fit inside any machine on the premises.
According to documents filed in court, Gumbs made cash deposits of almost $150,000 in addition to his $37,800 annual salary, and made numerous purchases at high-end luxury designer stores (Tiffany, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Fendi, and Bloomingdales), airlines (JetBlue and American Airlines), and hotels (Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada; Excellence Riviera in Cancun, Mexico; and Marriott Village at Little Lake Bryan, Orlando, Florida.) Gumbs also made a separate $50,500 cash down payment for a 2011 BMW X6 automobile. He rented a $2,250-per-month apartment in Trump Plaza in New Rochelle, New York.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Littman, Special Prosecutions Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Thomas Wornom, Chief of Special Prosecutions; Assistant District Attorneys Judy Salwen and Archana Rao, Deputy Bureau Chiefs of Special Prosecutions; Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Glickman, Deputy Chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau; and Executive Assistant District Attorney Adam S. Kaufmann, Chief of the Investigation Division.
The New York City Police Department, specifically, Detective Armando Coutinho, of the NYPD’s Identity Theft Task Force, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, specifically James Barenello, Director of Security, and Ed Taliaferro, Director of the Internal Audit Department, also provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Defendant Information:
MARQUE Gumbs, D.O.B. 03/12/1978
New Rochelle, N.Y.
Charges:
• Grand Larceny in the First Degree, one count, class B felony
A class B felony is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.