Former Hollywood Digital Marketing Executive and Professional Poker Player Admits Embezzling $22M

[TexasTowelie]

Former Hollywood Digital Marketing Executive and Professional Poker Player Admits Embezzling $22 Million from Employer


LOS ANGELES – A former executive at StyleHaul Inc., a digital marketing company that represents “influencers” on Instagram and YouTube, pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for embezzling more than $22 million from his employer and then using the stolen money for personal expenses and crypto-currency gambling.

Dennis Blieden, 30, formerly of Santa Monica and now a resident of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to his plea agreement, between October 2015 and March 2019, Blieden was the controller and vice president of accounting and finance for StyleHaul, a digital company once based in Hollywood, but which relocated to London earlier this year.

As part of his job, Blieden had control over the company’s bank accounts, and he abused this authority to wire company money to his personal bank account, according to a plea agreement. Blieden then used the stolen money to pay for personal expenses and to fund his crypto-currency accounts.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-hollywood-digital-marketing-executive-and-professional-poker-player-admits