A New Jersey company paid a man nearly half a million dollars before realizing he wasn't working.
Anthony Armatys was hired by telecommunications giant Avaya in 2002 for more than $100,000 a year. He changed his mind and didn't take the job, but the payroll department apparently never got the memo, according to the Star-Ledger.
For nearly five years, Avaya paid Armatys and he gladly accepted, spending most of the money on everyday items. The rest went straight into a retirement account. Armatys got caught when he tried to make an early withdrawal from that account.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree theft and has to pay the $470,995 back to Avaya. Armatys, 35, faces up to six years in prison when he's sentenced in January -- time enough to think about his next dream job.
