Two Mannington Employees Charged in Scam

Salem, NJ, March 10, 2006--Two Mannington Mills Inc., employees and a third person were arrested this week and charged with theft and conspiracy to commit theft after allegedly taking almost $20,000 from the flooring company, officials said. According to Today's Sunbeam, the Mannington Mills workers, Linda Sorrels, 38, of Pennsville, and Kristin Martin, 25, of Carneys Point worked together in producing and receiving monies for fraudulent, defective flooring warranty claims, according to the Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan. Sorrels, who authorities say was the alleged mastermind behind the scheme, was a claims representative for Mannington Mills, the flooring manufacturer in Mannington Township. Lenahan said the scam, similar to that recently uncovered at the Salem County Social Services Department, had Sorrels filing claims for what was alleged to be faulty flooring and would then process the claims and send the money to her co-conspirators. Patrick Dungee, 27, of Mount Laurel, also received monies related to the bogus claims, according to Lenahan. Dungee and Sorrels had worked together previously at another company, authorities said. Approximately $20,000 in fake claims and settlements were made between early 2004 and January 2006, according to Lenahan. Martin and Dungee were released on their own recognizance and bail was set at 10 percent of $5,000 for Sorrels, according to the prosecutor's office. Lenahan said Lt. Anthony Rastelli of the Salem County Prosecutor's Office and Det. Brian Foody of the New Jersey State Police's Woodstown Barracks jointly conducted the investigation with the complete cooperation of Mannington Mills whose assistance led to the arrests. Mike Hopp, Mannington Mills Vice President of Human Resources, said Thursday that both Sorrels and Martin were terminated from the company immediately after the scam was discovered. He said the fake claims were uncovered internally during an audit process and the two women were fired in late February. An internal investigation was done and the information was then handed over to the Prosecutor's Office, Hopp said. "When people are caught stealing from the company we will take it to the fullest extent and fully prosecute," Hopp said. He said Sorrels worked for Mannington Mills for about nine years and the company assisted Martin, who worked there for four years, in receiving her college degree. Both were customer service representatives, he said. "It's really disappointing," Hopp said. "It's disappointing that people would treat a company, who treats their employees so well, like that."