Travel agent nicked £140,000 from Thomas Cook to fund jet set lifestyle and glam trips to Lapland and Vegas
Brazen Alicia Moran swiped cash from her job to take holidays to Florida, New York, Spain and Euro Disney
A GREEDY mum is facing jail after cooking the books at Thomas Cook - and embezzling £140,000 in six months to fund a jet set lifestyle.
Alicia Moran swiped so many US dollars, Euros and Sterling notes from the travel agent she was accused of trousering nearly £250,000.
The mother-of-two discovered a loophole allowing her to take as much money as she wanted while the accounts showed nothing was missing.
The swiped cash funded trips to Florida, New York, Las Vegas, Spain, Euro Disney and Lapland and she tried to offer colleagues a handbag full of notes when rumbled.
Her scheme crash-landed after colleagues contacted the police - leading to Moran being arrested at Glasgow Airport when she touched down following a trip to New York and Las Vegas.
Moran, 33, was a foreign exchange sales consultant at the Braehead Shopping Centre branch of Thomas Cook between February and August 2015.
During that time she processed 140 currency transactions for free, overriding the computer systems so the tills balanced.
She used the cash to go on five holidays, and pay off her own debt and that of her partner and his mum.
Today Moran, of Greenock, pleaded guilty to embezzling £140,000 during a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court, after the sum was reduced from £241,248.
Procurator Fiscal Depute Alan Parfery said 400 dollars went missing from Moran's till. She claimed she gave the cash to a customer by mistake.
Her till was later 1,200 Euros short and a colleague found £1,000 hidden in a safe under a pile of envelopes, with no paper trail.
Mr Parfery, prosecuting, added: "Another member of staff repeated that the accused had advised her that, in the event of a till shortfall, the amount could be manually corrected on the computer terminal to prevent a manager or supervisor becoming aware.
"All these issues caused a large-scale internal investigation to take place and caused Thomas Cook to review security checks and store policy on a nationwide basis as, in effect, a loophole had been discovered whereby, electronically, deficits on the till could be masked."
The investigation revealed Moran had processed two payments of 10,000 US Dollars to people she knew when they weren't in the shop and she was interviewed by colleagues about it.
She then opened her handbag, revealing £6,000 in cash, and said she could pay it all back but the cash was seized and she was suspended.
The probe revealed she had several holidays booked with Thomas Cook and paid in cash.
Mr Parfery said: "She made admissions with regard to being responsible for embezzling sums from her work.
"She stated in her interview that all the money had been spent.
"Financial analysis of (her) accounts revealed a pattern of spending with regard to holidays, including a two-week holiday in Florida, four days at EuroDisney, three days in Lapland, a week in Spain, ten days in New York and Las Vegas.
"She also indicated in her interview, debts had been paid off for her, her partner and her partner's mother."
Moran was sacked from her job after failing to attend a disciplinary hearing.
Defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh said Moran is a single mum to her 16-year-old and eight-year-old children and full-time carer for her gran and had capitalised on a better exchange rate she received as a perk for being a Thomas Cook employee.
He explained: "This got very much out of control.
"She started with close family and friends and the matter escalated to pretty much half of Greenock coming to Miss Moran and getting their holiday money.
"The money was paid [to her] but she did not immediately return it and kept it.
"They say, 'Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it' - she booked it and cooked the books.
"She regrets her conduct and she is under no illusion about what is befalling her."
She could be caged for as long as five years when she returns to the dock next month for sentencing.
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