Pinellas Fitness Guru's Employee Accused of Embezzling

Pony-tailed, personal fitness guru Tony Little made millions selling workout products on television shows and infomercials. His companies, based in Pinellas County, Florida, cashed in on Little’s prominent role in America’s obsession with weight loss and fitness.

Last week, however, one of Little’s employees was accused of stealing almost $600,000 from the companies. Mark Schreiber of St. Petersburg was employed as controller overseeing the finances of Little’s operations. Schreiber was arrested and charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more. Schrei­ber reportedly told investigators that he was heavily involved in gambling, specifically online horse wagering.

A company spokesperson indicated that the missing funds did not place the company in any enhanced risk situation financially but that the occurrence itself was disturbing.

According to documents filed with the criminal court, Little began to suspect something was wrong last summer when he requested a meeting with Schreiber to discuss his dissatisfaction. Schrieber’s response was an curt resignation email.

Schreiber’s replacement reportedly discovered financial discrepancies. A forensic accountant allegedly discovered that the fraud began in August 2009 and continued for approximately a year. Law enforcement believes that 152 checks were fraudulently drawn from three of Little’s companies — Health International Corp., PHP5 and tonylittle.com — for a total of $583,379.

According to the records, most of the $583,379 was deposited in bank accounts controlled by Schreiber. Little maintains that his signature was forged on all 152 checks.

Schreiber allegedly opened online banking accounts for Little’s companies and stopping the mailing of bank statements. By doing these things, he prevented other employees from reviewing statements.

Schreiber says that Little did sign the checks, which were repayment for a loan from Schreiber to Little from gambling winnings.

Schreiber was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting $150,000 bail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Despite winning $400,000 in online betting in 2010, Schreiber requested (and received) appointment of a public defender to represent him.