Oil exec stole from employer to fund gambling

Shelly Reilly (41) an executive director in the oil industry who stole and lost GBP 231 000 from her Monaco-based employer Scorpio UK was sentenced in the Southwark Crown Court by Judge David Higgins to 18 months imprisonment this week.

Reilly stole the money over a ten-month period funding her penchant for online gambling, an activity she hoped would yield enough money to fund her fertility treatment.

Higgins described the case as tragic, saying Reilly’s behaviour was “deplorable and deeply anti-social” and that “the criminal conduct was premeditated, professionally planned, sustained, sophisticated and very serious”.

“Above all, of course, it was a gross breach of the trust placed in you on repeated occasions”, the judge said.

Reilly used company credit cards, two of which belonged to co-workers, basically robbing Peter to pay Paul once she found herself deeply in debt.

Poor performance due to extended play at night time was the catalyst for an internal audit that uncovered the misappropriation of the funds.

Prosecutor Peter Zinner said: “Instead of the jackpot joy, it appears she ran up enormous and unsustainable losses which became completely out of control and she continued to gamble with a view to recover the losses and the losses mushroomed to that very high level.”

According to media reports, Reilly has since repaid GBP 63 000 including GBP 7 000 in winnings.