Federal prosecutors say a former Nike marketing manager embezzled $1.4 million dollars from the Beaverton-based shoe and sportswear giant by steering work creating Nike pop-up stores to a friend’s company.
Errol Amorin Andam, 49, has been charged with wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements on a loan application.
Prosecutors said Andam managed the design and creation of Nike pop up stores near big sporting events, such as the Super Bowl or the NBA All Star Game.
Nike in downtown Portland
Evan Sernoffsky / OPB
They said that in 2016, Andam used a childhood friend to establish a company he then made sure won the contract to plan and set up the temporary stores. Federal prosecutors also accused Andam of using a fake name, “Frank Little,” to invoice Nike and steer credit card transactions at the pop-up stores into a bank account for his own limited liability corporation.
Andam is also accused of forging his friend’s signature and withdrawing money from the company his friend established without his friend’s knowledge.
Andam joined Nike in 2001 and rose from working in one of the brand’s retail stores to its corporate ranks. The federal investigation of him began around the same time he left Nike, in 2018.