An Owensboro man is facing two felony-level counts after being charged with stealing nearly $225,000 from a local business over a nearly 2-year period, court and police records show.
According to records from the Owensboro Police Department, 47-year-old Markus A. Ratajczak Jr., of the 3500 block of Mallard Landing Loop, was charged this week with theft by unlawful taking between $10,000-$1,000,000 as well as identity theft, which are Class C and D felonies, respectively.
According to an OPD citation, the thefts occurred at 2500 Frederica Street, home to River City Finance. In the citation, the complainant alleged that Ratajczak, an employee, stole more than $10,000 from the company by means of checks and use of the company credit card.
A separate OPD record related to the incident alleges that Ratajczak stole a total of $224,566.01, with the alleged thefts spanning from November 21, 2022, to October 16, 2024.
According to the initial citation, Ratajczak told an OPD officer during a non-custodial interview that he did take the money and took out a loan in another person’s name without their consent, and that the loan went into default.
Ratajczak is scheduled to be arraigned on February 18, 2025.
