Former Banker, 98, Testifies Against Secretary Accused of Stealing $1.3 Million From His Checks

Ninety-eight-year-old William Salomon climbed gingerly from his wheelchair into the witness stand in federal court in Newark today. As he struggled to reach the raised seat, the concerned-looking judge asked the frail man whether he would be able to make it up to the stand.

"Ooooh yes," Salomon quickly called out.

Moments later, Salomon — who’d traveled from his home on Park Avenue to be at the first day of a bank and wire fraud trial — began answering questions from Prosecutor Evan Weitz.
Yes, he’d started working in 1933 at the Salomon Brothers bond-trading house in New York, a firm that would later become a highly profitable investment bank of world renown. And, yes, his father was one of its founders a century ago.

From the witness stand, Salomon also identified the woman seated at the defense table as Karen Febles, his former secretary from 2000 to 2011. Febles, a tall, blond 48-year-old, is accused of stealing about $1.3 million from Salomon, over the course of five years, through brazenly depositing into her own accounts the cash from checks he’d entrusted to her.

"There’s no reason to have a personal secretary if you can’t trust her," Salomon testified today, when asked by Weitz whether he was careful in overseeing Febles’ check writing. Then, asked directly whether he trusted Febles, he also said, "I certainly did, implicitly."

Former Banker, 98, Testifies Against Secretary Accused of Stealing $1.3 Million From His Checks