The lawsuit says Thure approved payments to what it describes as a sham vendor, placed family members and personal employees on the company payroll, submitted fraudulent expense reimbursements and directed company vendors to perform work at his personal properties. It also claims company funds were used to purchase a UC Berkeley endowment, a $5.5 million home in Hawaii and help develop a 400-acre ranch in Humboldt County.
The complaint says Thure bypassed company controls and installed a separate, private internet connection in his office that was not managed by the company’s IT department.
The complaint also says Thure later admitted to stealing company funds. According to the lawsuit, he admitted during a recorded telephone conversation with TFF corporate representatives that he stole funds and later left a voicemail for Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor in which he confessed to and apologized for his fraudulent misconduct.
Taylor Farms is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, restitution and the recovery of assets it says were purchased with misappropriated company funds.
The lawsuit includes claims under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act as well as fraud, conversion, civil conspiracy and breach of fiduciary duty.