A former employee at Peter Pan Bus Co. and the owner of a tour company have been charged in connection with a larceny scheme they operated together.
Leonard Rottenberg, of Charlestown, and Julie Katz, of Chestnut Hill, have been accused of stealing nearly $600,000 through the scheme.
Rottenberg was arraigned yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court on three counts of larceny over $250 by scheme, and pleaded not guilty.
Katz was charged with two counts of receiving stolen property over $250. She will be arraigned at a later date.
The attorney general’s office began an investigation in April 2015 after a referral from Peter Pan.
Peter Pan provided charter bus services to tour company TourMappers North America LLC, which is owned by Katz. As director of operations for Peter Pan’s Chelsea Division during that timeframe, Rottenberg was responsible for providing the company’s charter service and for collecting the money owed to Peter Pan from its customers – such as TourMappers. Between 2009 and 2014, the services provided by Peter Pan to TourMappers totaled more than $1 million, of which the defendants allegedly stole nearly $600,000.