COLUMBIA, S.C. — An accountant working for a company that produces hazmat suits in Chesterfield County, Robert Emory, has been accused by federal prosecutors of defrauding Dupont, a chemical manufacturer, for a period of seven years, resulting in a loss of almost $5 million for the company.

Lancaster resident Robert Nathan Emory, aged 54, has admitted to committing wire fraud by misappropriating funds from his employer.

Emory, identified as the person in charge of the accounting department at Mar Mac Protective Apparel, a McBee-based company specializing in the production of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) suits, was implicated as per the findings of the investigation.

Mar Mac utilized an invoicing system wherein physical checks were affixed to invoices for major vendors, but payments were actually made electronically. Internally, Mar Mac assigned check numbers to these checks but did not present them to the bank, effectively sidestepping the issue of duplicate check numbers. Starting from January 2016, Robert Emory took advantage of a vulnerability in this system by inflating the invoice amounts, executing electronic payments to the vendors, and subsequently utilizing the check numbers to issue physical checks to either himself or his personal LLC.

Robert Emory pleaded guilty to count one of his 50-count indictment for submitting a fraudulent check for $9,583.79 in February 2021. Through this scheme, Robert Emory was able to obtain nearly $5 million. Emory was previously convicted of wire fraud in 2008.

Robert Emory faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.  United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Emory after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Holliday and Scott Matthews are prosecuting the case.

Robert Emory