This morning's ad on Facebook caught my attention. The ad was from the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. When it comes to fruit cake, my favorite is their apricot fruitcake. As a kid growing up, we had apricot trees in our back yard. Every year when the two trees produced their bounty, mother made apricot fried pies. That memory puts a smile on my face and makes me feel like a kid again.
Isn't it true that taste is one of the senses that can transport one back in time and fill one's head with memories from long ago and far away. This morning's ad reminded me of two things. First, a couple of weeks ago, I single-handedly scarfed down a cake I purchased at Randall's Grocery Store in Austin that came from the Collin Street Bakery. I ate the cake quickly because I anticipated I would receive another for Christmas this year. No one wants to receive something for Christmas that they already have, so I took care of that potential problem, and it is no longer an issue.
The ad for the Collin Street Bakery also served as a trigger that reminded me of white-collar crime that put the bakery in headlines about ten years ago. The accountant/comptroller for the company was by anybody's standards subsequently living outside his means.
If I remember correctly, his income was about $50,000 a year and he and his wife lived in a quaint historic two-story home with a wrap-around front porch. The landscaping was eye catching, and they routinely were awarded yard of the month. They lived comfortably on their income until the need for more became a driving force that led to white collar crime.
Almost overnight they found themselves in the lap of luxury, extravagant trips, private jets, a fleet of high-end vehicles, and the appearance of having everything money could buy including designer watches, fur coats and other amenities that signaled wealth.
They explained away the extravagant lifestyle as an inheritance that came their way. Sandy Jenkins worked at the bakery for fifteen years. According to Texas Monthly, the last nine years of his employment, the couple reportedly took 223 trips on their private jets to exclusive locations including Santa Fe, Aspen, and Napa. The total cost for their travels exceeded $3.3 million.
Texas Monthly also reported the purchase of 38 vehicles including many Lexus automobiles, a Mercedes Benz, a Bentley, and a Porsche. They reportedly shopped regularly at Neiman Marcus at North Park in Dallas where they spent $1.2 million.
According to Texas Monthly, realizing that his arrest was imminent, "He stuffed freezer bags with loose cash, jewelry, watches, and other valuables. As he fled, he attempted to squirrel them away in various hiding places, before finally giving up and hurling the rest in a nearby lake."
Long story short, Sandy pleaded guilty in May 2014 to embezzlement of $16.7 million from Collins Street Bakery. Sandy was sentenced to ten years in federal prison. His wife, Kay, was sentenced to five years' probation, and 100 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Sandy died in prison in 2019. His story could have ended differently had he lived within his means.
For the record, I highly recommend the apricot fruit cake from Collins Street Bakery.
All My Best!
Don
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