Evansville, IN – On August 29, 2023, Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that
Richard Zenon Bogacki, a habitual thief, was found guilty of three counts of Theft, all
Level 6 Felonies, in a jury trial before Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh County
Superior Court.
In February of 2019, local business owners hired Richard Bogacki as their
operations manager. Bogacki, who worked quickly to gain the trust of his employers, was
fired from his role in August when the business owners noticed several financial
discrepancies in the company. Just weeks prior to being terminated, Bogacki established
an LLC with a similar name to the company he worked for and made his wife the
registered agent. Richard Bogacki then opened a business banking account with the LLC’s
name. After completing work on a customer’s home through his employer’s business,
Richard Bogacki had the customer write the check to his new LLC. Bogacki then cashed
the check into his own business banking account. Bogacki committed the same offense
several times, having the customers write the check to his own LLC rather than his
employer’s business. Bogacki would also pay personal expenses out of his employer’s
business account.
At trial, Deputy Prosecutors Erik Bryant and John Bober presented bank records
of the Defendant’s illegitimate business, bank records of the victims’ legitimate business,
testimony from civilian homeowner witnesses who received services from the victim’s
business, and testimonies from the business owners and law enforcement. Previous
victims of Bogacki’s theft observed in the audience. After the guilty verdict, Bogacki was
taken into custody.
Prosecutor Diana Moers thanked her Deputy Prosecutors, Victim Advocate Teresa
Wilcox – who assisted these victims throughout the 4-year litigation, Morgan
Richardville, Carla Moore, Tony Carden, Tiffany Lubbehusen, and Kennadi Hagan who
all helped in the investigation and trial preparation. Moers also extended a thank you to
Detective Aaron McCormick, Sergeant Bill Arbaugh, and Detective Nathan VanCleave for
their roles in the investigation and trial process.
Prosecutor Diana Moers stated: “This is a reminder to the community that
financial crimes will be investigated and prosecuted with every resource we have
available. I have a background in prosecuting white-collar crimes and know first-hand the
devastating impact financial loss can have on peoples’ lives- from small businesses to our
banking institutions. Working hard to steal money from others thus robbing them of their
own hard work, trust, and time is a deplorable act that will impact generations and should
be treated as such. A community cannot thrive with these types of criminals among it.
My office will not turn away from these intricate cases. We have the knowledge to
investigate and prosecute financial theft cases to the fullest and we will leave no stone
unturned. Deputy Prosecutor Erik Bryant stated: “Our hope now is that our victims find
a sense of peace in knowing that this is behind them and their small business, which they
love so dearly.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 5, 2023, in front of Judge Robert J. Pigman of
the Vanderburgh County Superior Court. The Defendant could face upwards of 7 years.
