The Stark family trusted bookkeeper Carol Ann Rydstrand.
Besides, only Rydstrand knew the intricacies of settling financial matters after the death of John Gage Stark of Edmonds.
What Stark’s relatives didn’t know was that Rydstrand had forged $60,000 in checks from a previous employer and was convicted of first-degree theft in 2001.
So daughter Susan Stark was surprised in September 2005 when she got a call that a Stark Investment Co. account was overdrawn by hundreds of dollars.
After all, the family had ordered Rydstrand to close that account years beforehand.
A quick investigation indicated that Rydstrand had signed numerous unauthorized checks from several bank accounts, Snohomish County prosecutors allege. Further investigation indicated she had signed more than 200 unauthorized checks and wire transfers between 2002 and 2005, according to court documents.
Rydstrand, 47, of Marysville was charged this week with first-degree theft for embezzling nearly $250,000 from the Stark business accounts, prosecutors allege.
John Stark’s daughter, Edmonds lawyer Susan Stark, said some of the stolen money apparently went to paying restitution in the 2001 conviction. Court documents alleged some also went to casino gambling and keeping Rydstrand’s girlfriend happy.
Rydstrand is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 21 in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Rydstrand had worked for John Stark since 1999, although Susan Stark and others in the family didn’t know about the 2001 theft conviction.
Rydstrand was sentenced to nine months in jail in 2001, serving the time on work release.
Susan Stark said the bookkeeper minimized her work-release status, saying she got caught up in the activities of somebody else, and whatever punishment she received was not her fault.
John Stark’s widow took a more active role in the business after her husband’s death, and Rydstrand was considered “the last emotional connection we had with my dad,” Susan Stark said.
She believes Rydstrand took advantage of her mother and the difficulty of settling John Stark’s complicated business dealings following his death. Many of the business records had been lost, leaving Rydstrand as an essential link in straightening things out, Susan Stark said.
Family members trusted her.
“Even our accountant trusted her,” Susan Stark said.
According to documents, Rydstrand was authorized to fill out checks, but not sign them. Checks were forged on the account of Stark Company, Stark Investments Limited Partnership and Stark Company Sunset.
Some were made payable to her girlfriend, a bankruptcy trustee, Costco, Verizon Wireless and others.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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