Former Williams-Sonoma employee accused of defrauding company out of $10M

An employee of Williams-Sonoma is facing multiple federal charges after he allegedly defrauded the San Francisco-based home furnishings company out of more than $10 million, authorities said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of California, 48-year-old Ben Thomas III of Georgia was indicted on eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. Thomas was the general manager of the company's hub and distribution facility in Braselton, about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.

"The defendant is charged with enriching himself by cheating his employer, a publicly traded company," said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. "The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to rooting out fraud in this District and to ensuring that those who abuse positions of trust and authority are held accountable for their actions."

Prosecutors said Thomas had the authority to hire temporary staffing vendors and approve payments up to $50,000 to vendors in his role with the company. The indictment alleges that Thomas created a fictitious temporary staffing company called Empire Logistics Services, which he used to defraud his employer.

Between 2017 and 2023, Thomas submitted hundreds of invoices from Empire to Williams-Sonoma for work that was never performed. In all, prosecutors allege that Thomas collected 335 payments totaling more than $10 million.

Thomas spent the proceeds on a 12,000 square foot home, a yacht, automobiles and pet cloning, among other items, prosecutors said.

The U.S. Attorney's office said Thomas is scheduled to make his first court appearance in San Francisco federal court on Oct. 1. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 for each wire fraud violation and 10 years prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation of money laundering.