California water company insider steals $9 million, flees country

So the California Water Service Company needs auditors so badly they hire an H1B-type. Except there appears to be something funky with this auditor's computer privileges. At the very least this guy had waaaaay to much access for an auditor. And his credentials were still good after he resigned. From SC Magazine:

An insider at the California Water Service Company in San Jose broke into the company's computer system and transferred $9 million into offshore bank accounts and fled the country.

Abdirahman Ismail Abdi, 32, was an auditor for the water company, which delivers drinking water throughout the state and is located in San Jose, Calif. Abdi resigned from his position on April 27. Allegedly, that night he went back to work and made three wire transfers totaling more than $9 million from the company's accounts to an account in Qatar. Abdi was seen by a janitor on the night of the crime, according to the San Jose Mercury News, citing court documents filed Wednesday in the federal court at San Jose.

Now what would a good Presbyterian like Abdirahman want to go and do a thing like that? Now it's possible his motivation was the old fashioned greedy kind, but my thoughts do wander to that other possibility.

The water company claims to have worked with their financial institution to reverse the transaction and get the 9 million back in their account. Reading the story further revealed this stunner tucked in almost as an after thought (emphasis mine):

The local investigation also revealed that Abdi tried to book a flight to London on May 1, days after police searched his South Bay home. Abdi is not a U.S. citizen and was ordered deported to Somalia in 2005, the Mercury News reported.

So he was an H1B type... he just didn't actually have a valid visa. What the hell is the California Water Service doing? There aren't enough qualified American citizens or legal aliens to staff their Auditing department?

This is just great. They have scored the Trifecta of Fail:

1) Illegal Alien. `Nuff said.

2) This guy had a level of system access that an auditor should not have.

3) His access rights should have been terminated as soon as he was separated from the company.

Jerks and Idiots. I almost wish that they didn't get their money back. They don't deserve it...