An Athens business has reported an embezzlement by a former employee that alleges the theft of more than $3 million over a period of six years.

Athens-Clarke police have begun an investigation on the complaint which was filed May 22 by company officials from Integrity Foods Inc. on Old Hull Road. The company is a processing and delivery company for chicken products.

The suspect was fired after the missing money was discovered when they found documents where he created false records of employment for former employees with checks for these people being direct deposited into accounts the suspect controlled.

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Company officials also noted they are investigating to determine if the thefts might exceed the six years they currently know about, according to the report.

When the alleged scheme was discovered, company officials began monitoring the payroll, which then led to the firing of the employee.

The company has provided documents on the transactions including the fraudulent records for former employees to police, according to the report.

An arrest has not been made, but the investigation has been assigned to police Detective Blake Manning, who can be reached at 762-400-7396 or blake.manning@accgov.com.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Employee of Athens company investigated for $3 million embezzlement