SALT LAKE CITY — An accountant charged with stealing $1.3 million from the research company he once worked for has died of an apparent suicide.
Daniel Scott Richardson, 36, died Aug. 20, according to court documents and Unified police. A judge officially dismissed the case against him Monday, when he was set to appear for a scheduling court date.
In April, he was charged in 3rd District Court with making unauthorized transactions to the company totaling just under $1.3 million to pay for vacations, cars and personal bills. Court documents do not indicate if he entered a plea.
An Aug. 22 email from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office to the court states that Richardson had killed himself two days earlier. Police suspect the death was a suicide but are awaiting autopsy results to confirm a cause, said Unified police spokeswoman Melody Gray.
Richardson worked for Pegus Research Inc., a Salt Lake company that specializes in epidemiology and pharmacy-based research, from 2012-2016, according to charging documents.
An obituaryremembers him as outgoing and family-focused, with an infectious laugh and a family that will miss him.
Richardson was not in jail at the time of his death and was participating in an ankle-monitoring program, said Salt Lake County Jail spokesman Kevin Hunter. In May, he waived extradition, agreeing to return to Utah from another state, court records show.
A message left with his attorney, Michael Sikora, was not immediately returned Thursday.