Wednesday, April 23, 2008

WHO WAS DENNIS GERWING? EMBEZZLER, MURDERER, SUICIDE

This 2003 file photo released by IWL Photography shows Dennis Gerwing. Gerwing, the accountant who killed himself after being questioned by police in the disappearance of two Hilton Head Island clients had embezzled $2.1 million from the couple and seven other companies, his former employer said Tuesday April 22, 2008. Gerwing committed suicide March 11 after police questioned him about the disappearance of John and Elizabeth Calvert, a couple who live part-time on a yacht on the resort island and in a home in Atlanta. (AP Photo/IWL Photography, Bill Littell, File)

In this July 2006 photo provided by Hilton Head Monthly Magazine, John and Elizabeth Calvert are seen as part of a story about their leasing of space. (AP Photo)

March 7: The cruiser ‘Yellow Jacket’ sits unattended on Hilton Head Island, S.C. The boat has been left abandoned since the owners disappeared. (AP Photo)

Audit: Man Took $2.1M From Missing S.C. Couple, Others
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C — An accountant who killed himself after being questioned by police in the disappearance of two Hilton Head Island clients had embezzled $2.1 million from the couple and seven other companies, his former employer said Tuesday.

An audit ordered by management company The Club Group found that chief financial officer Dennis Gerwing took money from its clients for four years, depositing it into a hidden checking account, the company said.

Gerwing committed suicide March 11 after police questioned him about the disappearance of John and Elizabeth Calvert, a couple who live part-time on a yacht on the resort island and in a home in Atlanta. The couple were last seen in early March and searches of the resort island, its harbor and in Georgia have been fruitless.

Police have said Gerwing, 54, was the last person to see the couple together.

Mark King, president of The Club Group, said he met last week with the clients who lost money and promised to repay them using money from Gerwing's estate, insurance settlements and his own assets.

"I am still in shock over the betrayal of trust and the death of my partner of 21 years. I have no idea what might have prompted Dennis to engage in this behavior, but as chief executive, I want to apologize on behalf of our company to all who were adversely affected," King said in a statement.

Gerwing stole from eight of The Club Group's 10 Hilton Head Island clients by using wire transfers, checks and other transactions that mixed investment money with his personal funds, King said.

A MURDER MYSTERY WORTHY OF TV SCRIPT...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352202,00.html

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Body Found Floating in Lagoon on Hilton Head Island, SC Beaufort County, SC

Children Find Body in Hilton Head Lagoon

Children walking along a Hilton Head path made a startling discovery this week...when they saw a body floating in a lagoon.

The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office says the lagoon is near the putt-putt course and The Smokehouse restaurant on the south end of the island, near Coligny Plaza.

...The name of the man has not yet been released...

http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/home.apx.-content-articles-SAV-2008-05-02-0013.html