Last October, then-Santa Maria City Planning Commissioner Etta Waterfield and commercial realtors were handing out free hotdogs and tacos to employees of Zodiac Seat Shells in the parking lot of its new factory.
At the time, Waterfield was campaigning for a spot on the City Council that she eventually won. Former Zodiac Chief Financial Officer dropped by and even took a photo with Waterfield for a story the Sun ran in early November 2014.
Stuckey, then CFO for Zodiac, was fired in June 2015, and a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on July 13, alleges that he used his position as the financial gatekeeper to embezzle more than $181,000 of the company’s money.
Beyond what’s listed in the lawsuit, neither Zodiac nor Stuckey are commenting on the situation, but there are some things that are easily confirmed.
Zodiac Seat Shells is one of Santa Maria’s largest employers, employing several thousand workers in the city, and specializes in designing and assembling passenger seats for aircraft manufacturers. Its parent company is Zodiac Aerospace based out of France, which manufactures jetliner cabins and aircraft safety equipment, among other products.
As for what’s in the lawsuit: It states the company’s Santa Maria affiliate hired Stuckey in December 2012 as a plant controller, a position similar to that of a CFO. Things progressed quickly for Stuckey, and he was promoted to CFO in August 2013, earning more than a $100,000 salary. As part of his job, Stuckey was entrusted with protecting the company’s money, including “preserving company assets,” the lawsuit said.
The Sun wasn’t successful in reaching Stuckey after several calls and a visit to the address listed on the lawsuit.
A LinkedIn account that matches Stuckey’s name shows he was in charge of managing revenues at Zodiac ranging from $86 million to $250 million. The account also shows that Stuckey worked as a plant controller for Guardian Industries Corporation in Kingsburg and a group controller and plant manager for Building Materials and Construction Services in Merced. It also states that he earned a Masters of Business Administration from Fresno State in 2010.
The lawsuit was mailed, or “served,” to him at an address in Nipomo that’s listed in court documents—although it’s not clear if he received the package.
According to the timeline of “factual allegations” provided in the lawsuit, everything began in April 2013 when Stuckey started using a Zodiac bank account, the “356 account,” which Zodiac alleges was hidden from the company’s accounting system.
The lawsuit states that in April and May of 2014, Stuckey made two wire transfers totaling around $75,000 between that account and another Zodiac account, dubbed the “661 account.”
He also purportedly drew several checks from the 356 account totaling $93,000, making them out to cash, to fund personal expenses, like housing and vehicles. In May 2014, Stuckey bought a brand new Toyota Tundra for $45,000 and even used Zodiac’s company name on the bill of sale, according to the lawsuit.
The company also said in the lawsuit that Stuckey created fake emails from its chief executive officer, as well as fake invoices from vendors to receive company checks that he deposited into the 356 account.
Zodiac became aware of what Stuckey was up to in May 2015, according to the lawsuit, and things quickly went downhill. Stuckey was fired on June 4.
The lawsuit stated that an investigation is underway. It’s unclear if any of the allegations will amount to criminal charges. It’s also unknown if Stuckey’s purported crimes were reported to police.
Greg Labate, Zodiac’s attorney in Costa Mesa, told the Sun that he wasn’t allowed to comment on the case, only saying that the allegations against Stuckey are “very serious.” He wouldn’t say if Stuckey had an attorney or whether or not he was arrested.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover could not release any past jail bookings for Stuckey, saying that the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t typically give out booking history because it’s considered criminal history. Stuckey’s name does not appear in Sheriff’s Office arrest logs going back to June.
San Luis Obispo County Police Department spokesperson Tony Cipolla echoed the same reason, saying that he could only release records from the last 60 days. Stuckey’s name didn’t show up. A request from the Sun to the Merced County Sheriff’s Department was not returned before press time.
Zodiac is seeking compensation, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees. A jury trial is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16.
Stuckey has until September to respond to the allegations.
Staff Writer David Minsky can be reached at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 20-27, 2015.