Executive, cop suspects in embezzlement

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque police are investigating a reported case of embezzlement involving two men who worked with the local arm of a California security company.

A Gilbert Baca III was vice president of the Albuquerque branch of Skillstorm Security which provided armed and unarmed guards for businesses and functions around New Mexico.

According to Albuquerque Police Department investigators in 2006 Baca created false accounts, signed company checks over to himself and fabricated employees in some cases using the names of former Skillstorm workers.

"He was using what we term ghost employees, people who worked for the company or had shown interest in the company or just people he knew," Lt. Harold Prudencio told KRQE told KRQE News 13. "He would use their information, say that they worked and turn in timesheets for these people."

The California owner of Skillstorm alerted police after he noticed suspicious activity.

Police believe Baca stole at least $60,000 from the company and alleged they followed the paper trial to a bank account in Baca's name.

Detectives also alleged Joe Stidham, currently the police chief of Bosque Farms, also stole $2,500 from the business by signing over company checks to himself.

Neither Baca nor Stidham has been charged with a crime.

The case is currently in the hands of District Attorney Kari Brandenburg whose office had questions about the investigation and sent it back to detectives for a follow up.

"It's a white-collar crime," Brandenburg said. "Labor-intensive, lots of documents, a paper trail."

The final version of the case is set to go to a grand jury for possible charges, which could take more months.