Greenock mum could face 5 years in jail for embezzling cash from travel agent

A mum who cooked the books at Thomas Cook and embezzled £140,000 to fund a jet-set lifestyle has offered to pay the money back - over the next 70 years.

Alicia Moran swiped so many US dollars, Euros and Sterling notes from the travel agent she was accused of pocketing nearly £250,000.

And the 34-year-old has offered to enter in to a repayment plan which would see her still paying off the debt after her 100th birthday.

The mother-of-two discovered a loophole which allowed her to take as much money as she wanted while altering the accounts to show nothing was missing.

She spent the cash on trips to Florida, New York, Las Vegas, Spain, Euro Disney and Lapland and she tried to offer colleagues probing her a handbag full of notes when she was rumbled.

But her whole scheme crash-landed after colleagues contacted the police, leading to Moran being arrested at Glasgow Airport after touching down following a trip to New York and Las Vegas.

Moran was a Foreign Exchange Sales Consultant at the Braehead Shopping Centre branch of Thomas Cook between February 2 and August 25, 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.

Moran, of Greenock, pleaded guilty to embezzling £140,000 after the sum was reduced from £241,248 during a Paisley Sheriff Court hearing in October.

Defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh, a partner in law firm McCusker, McElroy and Gallanagh, said Moran, a single mum to her 16-year-old and eight-year-old children and full-time carer for her gran, 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.'

Sentence was deferred for background reports and Moran returned to the dock to learn her fate.

After hearing that Moran had offered to pay the £140,000 back at a rate of £40-per-week, Sheriff David Pender said: 'I worked out it would take her about 70 years to repay.'

At a rate of £40-per-week, Moran would pay back £2,080-per-year, meaning it would take her 67.3 years to clear the £140,000 balance.

That would see her making payments in eight decades, with the final payment being made when she is 101, providing she lives that long and does not miss any payments.

Mr Gallanagh then asked Sheriff Pender for a further adjournment in the case, to allow him to obtain a report about her mental health, as she believes she may have been suffering from Bipolar disorder before, during and after conning Thomas Cook.

As he adjourned the case for a further two weeks, Sheriff Pender said: 'It's no inconvenience to me if I continue it again.

'This matter is hanging over her head - the angst is on her, not on me.

He then said to Moran: 'It's only fair I give you the opportunity of getting a medical report.

'We'll just have to wait and see what it says.'

Moran could be caged for as long as five years when she returns to the dock later this month to learn her fate.