NORRISTOWN — The former bookkeeper for a family-owned Bridgeport office furniture supply business who stole about $1 million during her employ showed no emotion as the company president dramatically confronted her in court, saying she didn’t think twice about “cutting the throats” of people who trusted and helped her. “This is someone we trusted, respected and treated like family. The betrayal touched every coworker. It crushed our employees. This is devastating to a small business, both financially and emotionally. The economic consequences are endless,” Jordan Berkowitz, co-owner and president of Arnold’s Furniture and Sunline Supply Company, said Thursday in a Montgomery County courtroom as he glared at admitted thief and company backstabber Linda Anne Mansi. Mansi, 54, of the unit block of Admiral Drive, Tuckerton, N.J., pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and forgery in connection with thefts that occurred between 2016 and 2023 to support what prosecutors alleged was a “lavish lifestyle” including trips and attending concerts and sporting events. Linda Mansi leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse on Oct. 10, 2024, after being sentenced on theft charges. She must report to jail on Oct. 24. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. / MediaNews Group) Berkowitz said Mansi, who was the vice president of finance and human resources at the company, “managed everything financially” and was “at the center of a lot of things.” Berkowitz described a relationship that was once close, recalling his family even gifted her son a car for his 16th birthday while all along “she was robbing us blind.” Recalling when the financial irregularities linked to Mansi were discovered, Berkowitz said, “My heart sank. We were in shock. It was a pretty jarring moment.” Berkowitz described Mansi as a “cunning, master manipulator” and as “a pathological person who has no problem cutting the throats” of people who trust and help her. Every day Mansi remains free she poses a risk to anyone who crosses paths with her, Berkowitz said as he sought justice for his family from Judge Thomas P. Rogers. “It’s unacceptable,” Rogers said about Mansi’s conduct, adding Berkowitz’s victim impact statement moved him. Rogers rejected defense arguments for probation or house arrest for Mansi and sentenced her to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail beginning Oct. 24. Mansi, who sat stone-faced throughout the hearing, also will have to serve three years of probation following parole, meaning she will be under court supervision for about five years. Linda Mansi leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse in Juy 2024 to await sentencing after she admitted embezzling from the Bridgeport company for which she worked as bookkeeper. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. / MediaNews Group) While prosecutors maintained Mansi stole up to $1.2 million, an agreement was reached with the defense that she must pay $900,000 in restitution in connection with the thefts. When Mansi requested work release, claiming she needed it so she could begin paying restitution, the judge pointed out that to date, Mansi, who apparently has found employment with another business in New Jersey, had made no effort to compensate the Berkowitz family. “Not even one penny has been provided to the family so far. That’s concerning to me,” said Rogers, rejecting Mansi’s request for work release. Before learning her fate, Mansi, a mother of two who was supported in court by her husband and one of her sons, said, “I have accepted responsibility throughout this process to try to let everyone know I am sorry for my actions.” But Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Kull argued Mansi was not “fully remorseful.” Kull argued for a jail sentence for Mansi, pointing out she had two previous convictions for stealing from other employers dating back to 1998 for which she served probation. Kull argued Mansi’s prior probationary sentences did not deter her from stealing from Arnold’s Furniture. “Defendant stole from this company exploiting her position of trust for approximately seven years. Defendant misappropriated funds, including payroll funds for other employees, to suit her own personal agenda,” Kull argued. Kull said many of the thefts occurred during the COVID pandemic when the economy was already troublesome for many small businesses and that the company’s crucial profits were going into Mansi’s bank account. Mansi used the stolen funds to pay for travel expenses such as airline tickets, hotels and rental cars, including a trip to Miami for her son’s birthday celebration; tickets for sporting events including Phillies tickets; concert tickets through StubHub and Ticketmaster, including a Lil Durk show; gambling expenses; doctor and medical expenses for herself and family members; purchases at jewelry stores, Coach, Etsy and other online shopping sites; and even expenditures for a relative’s prison commissary, legal costs and phone accounts, according to the criminal complaint. Mansi allegedly made 388 ATM and bank withdrawals totaling $146,957, more than 500 payments to family and friends via Cash App, and overpaid her salary by $19,000 in 2022 through false payroll submissions. In seeking a probationary sentence for Mansi, defense lawyer Stephen J. Fleury Jr. argued she is the primary caregiver for her 81-year-old mother who suffers from debilitating medical conditions and requires round-the-clock care. “She’s very remorseful for what she has done,” Fleury argued. Linda Mansi, accompanied by her husband and son, arrives for her sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Court on Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. / MediaNews Group) The investigation began in February 2023 when company owners contacted Bridgeport police to report the thefts by Mansi, who was employed by the company since 2015, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective Dirk Boughter and Bridgeport Detective William Murphy. Mansi, in each position with the company, was responsible for accounts payable and receivable, credit and debit cards, payroll and other financial activities, including managing the QuickBooks financial accounting software, according to the arrest affidavit. “The defendant had no regular oversight above her while she operated in this capacity. The owners stated that they did not become aware of the thefts of company funds until recently because the defendant managed all accounts and the company’s QuickBooks finance accounting software,” Boughter and Murphy alleged in the arrest affidavit. Mansi allegedly did not allow subordinate employees under her to manage or otherwise view the accounts. “All of her actions, maintaining sole control over the accounts and keeping money moving prevented the owners from detecting and intervening in her scheme,” Boughter and Murphy alleged. The investigation uncovered that from January 2016 until her termination in February 2023, when company owners discovered the theft and confronted her, Mansi made unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals from company accounts totaling $1,271,315, which she used for her personal enrichment and expenses, as well as those of her family members. “This theft of funds was made possible due to the fact that the owners entrusted the defendant to lawfully and properly manage the company funds with no direct oversight. The victims put their trust in the defendant and provided the defendant with assistance above and beyond her employment agreement,” Boughter and Murphy wrote in the arrest affidavit. “The defendant took this trust and lack of oversight by company owners and stole hard-earned company money in order to facilitate living a more lavish lifestyle for herself and her family members which included  trips, sporting events, concerts, home improvements, recreational vehicles, health benefits and cash payments,” Boughter and Murphy added.