A former employee of Deseret Book, who at one time dealt with Mark Hoffman, has been charged with two felony counts of fraud in connection with rare book sales.
Wade Lillywhite, presently living in another state, was charged Wednesday with defrauding Deseret Book, where he worked in the Fine and Rare Book Department.After the Hoffman forgery and bombing crimes became known, Deseret Book closed its rare book department, selling many volumes at 10 percent of the marked price.
The felony information contends that sometime after March 1984 until August 1987, Lillywhite used a scheme to defraud Deseret Book and "certain persons who purchased . . . and sold items to Deseret Book."
It contends he prepared false purchase orders and also charges he sometimes sold items belonging to the company and kept the money for his own use. The charge also says Lillywhite took things from the Deseret Book inventory and replaced them with items of lesser value.
The first count charges that on April 27, 1985, he had a $4,000 check drawn on Deseret Book bank account sent to a book shop in Los Angeles, part of a scheme to defraud.
The second count charges that he had a $1,535 check sent from Deseret Book to a man in Sharon, Mass., on July 2, 1986, also part of a scheme to defraud.