New details surface in Nu Skin theft case
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Three individuals who stand accused of stealing from Nu Skin will continue to wait another several weeks to determine if they will be facing a jury for theft by receiving, money laundering and selling articles carrying a registered trademark. Scott Lazerson, Elizabeth Craig and Brady Harper may possibly face the testimony of six witnesses, including Nu Skin employees and a detective from the Provo Police Department.
The hearing will be ruled by Judge Darold McDade after prosecutor Sherry Ragan and all three defense attorneys submit written memoranda in favor of their positions. All three defendants are accused of receiving in-kind donations from Nu Skin employees after claiming that the products would be used to help people in Third World countries. The products were then sold on eBay and Amazon.com for profit.
Police were contacted once Nu Skin employees saw the heavy volumes of Nu Skin items being sold on eBay and other similar sites. Investigations led to several storage units in Orem due to a tip from Harper's estranged wife. An accountant for New Light, the company Craig and Harper owned to sell the Nu Skin products online, testified that when he was hired, he was told the company was selling Nu Skin products and that some people in the area might find it offensive. He was then advised not to let too many people know what he was doing.
The accountant estimated that Harper took roughly $70,000 to pay for living expenses, while Craig took about $30,000. He also claimed that Craig would write checks that could have totaled more than $70,000, which went to mortgage payments, bills and two vehicles. Shatie Moulton, a former employee testified that she gave Lazerson 15 to 20 pallets worth of merchandise that had been returned or opened for quality control and could not be sold. The product included vitamins, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
"Would you have given him those items if you had known what you know now?" prosecutor Sherry Ragan asked; Moulton responded in the negative. When defense attorneys asked why Moulton had given Lazerson so many products outside of basic hygiene and vitamins; Patricia Geary Glenn, Craig's attorney, questioned the mascara and facial spa treatments going to a Third World country.