West Allis Kmart manager charged with theft

WEST ALLIS/RACINE (WITI) -- FOX6 News has learned an Oak Creek man is charged in connection with the theft of money from two Kmart stores in which he worked.

34-year-old Christopher Miller of Oak Creek faces one count of theft of a business setting greater than $5,000 to $10,000 in the case.

A criminal complaint in the case says officers were dispatched to the Kmart store at 69th and Greenfield in West Allis for an employee theft.

A criminal complaint says Miller, a store manager had been stealing money from the store by filing fake merchandise returns and fake loan to register transactions. This, according to a Kmart District Loss Prevention Manager.

The complaint says Miller admitted the thefts at the West Allis store to that manager, and had also admitted to taking money from the Racine Kmart store when he was the store manager there.

Miller admitted to taking approximately $12,000 from Kmart during his employment as store manager in Racine and West Allis, according to the complaint.

Miller told officials he would use the service desk register to create a fake merchandise return. Miller's employee code would override the transaction, allowing the return to be completed. Then, Miller would go to the cash office and create a loan in the computer for that register just used for the fake return, so that the register would balance even though the register wasn't missing money. Miller would then keep the money from the cash office -- according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint says Miller told officials he took the money to pay credit card and IRS debt.

The Kmart District Loss Prevention Manager looked into the Racine thefts, and identified $5,326 in stolen funds.

If convicted, Miller faces a maximum of six years in prison and a maximum of $10,000 in fines.