A Sinking Spring, Berks County man has been charged with more than 500 counts of theft and related offenses after authorities said he stole more than $35,000 from Brown Printing.

        The man, identified as Robert Johnson Jr., of the 100 block of Wernersville Road, was arrested last week by PA State Police after an investigation allegedly revealed he defrauded the Upper Hanover company while employed there as a purchasing manager.

        Police said Johnson was a longtime employee of Brown, hired in December 1990.  He was promoted to purchasing manager in May 1999, according to court papers filed by Tpr. Brad Furlong.

        According to the affidavit of probable cause, police began an investigation into Johnson in October 2012 after he was terminated from the company the month before.  According to the document, Johnson was the administrator of corporate credit card accounts, which were issued individually to employees, and was responsible for completing purchase orders for other corporate credit card account holders.

        Police said Johnson was also issued a credit card and was in charge of auditing his own purchases.

        Investigators said in the affidavit “several inconsistencies were discovered regarding the purchase orders completed by [Johnson] as compared to the credit card bills for his corporate account.”  Police said receipts from the companies he purchased from were obtained and compared to the purchase orders submitted by Johnson. 

        According to court papers, Brown Printing identified almost 200 instances where Johnson made unauthorized purchases and falsified the corresponding purchase order from May 2010 and September 2012.  Those purchases amounted to $35,053.66, authorities said. 

        Some of the purchases, made at Walmart in Upper Hanover and Home Depot in Wyomissing, were also verified with security camera footage, police said.

        Police said Johnson admitted to making the unauthorized purchases using the company credit card for what he called “unforeseen additional expenses within his family.”

        Johnson was charged with 197 counts each of felony access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception.  He was arraigned on Dec. 11 by Judge Catherine Hummel-Fried in Red Hill District Court.  Bail was set at $50,000 unsecured, which Johnson posted.

        He is scheduled to appear in Red Hill court for a preliminary hearing Jan. 9 at 11:15 a.m.