The State - News from Feb. 28, 1988

Five people have been charged in Fresno with embezzling $500,000 from Gottschalk’s department stores by setting up phony equipment and supply firms and billing Gottschalk’s for undelivered materials. Fresno police identified Charles Glaze, 54, of San Diego, a former general superintendent for Gottschalk’s, as the mastermind of the scheme. Glaze’s girlfriend, Vanessa Bridgeforth, 34, is accused of aiding in the scheme. The three other suspects are Jesse James White, 44, of Fresno; Vanessa Reese, of San Diego, and Paul Nickson, 32, of Fresno. Glaze and White allegedly set up a dummy electrical supply firm, Quantum Enterprises, and billed Gottschalk’s more than $237,000 for materials that were never delivered, police said. Other dummy businesses also were set up and billings amounted to more than $250,000 for undelivered supplies.