Secretary nearly puts local family-owned company out of business with alleged embezzlement

DAYTON — A family-owned business in Dayton nearly had to close its doors because of an employee embezzling money.

Stephanie Brandenburg, the secretary of Merker Iron, Inc., was indicted earlier this month on theft and grand theft charges, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

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Brandenburg, 50, was accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the company, which is one of the oldest businesses in town.

“Had she continued this scam, we would have closed our doors within two weeks,” Elle Merker, the office manager at the custom ironwork company, told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott.

Merker said she was stunned when she learned Brandenburg, a loyal employee of around seven years, might have taken money from them. She said Brandenburg “was basically taking cash from customers, writing fake check numbers,” and allegedly holding onto the money.

“We were completing the jobs. So we had time and labor and materials, and she was pocketing the cash,” Merker said, noting the company got nothing from it.

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She claimed Brandenburg targeted the elderly and Memorial Day Tornado victims with an offer.

“She would give them a discount. So say we bid the job at $1,000, she would call him and say, ‘Hey, I’ll do it for $500 cash and I’ll come get it from you,’” Merker explained.

She didn’t realize what was happening until a customer called saying she had paid, but never received her iron fence.

“She basically messed up by not putting that job to the shop and that’s how we caught her,” Merker said.

From there, Merker discovered how much money her family was losing.

“My total was around $90,000 but it could be more. I don’t know,” she said.

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Thousand of dollars done right when the business was struggling with inflation and the Covid pandemic.

“I kept looking at the books and I’m like, ‘I don’t understand. Where’s all this money going?’ And she sat here and lied to our faces,” Merker said.

Brandenburg has since been fired, but Merker said she has no plans for a new hire.

“We don’t trust anybody no here in the office,” she said.

Brandenburg has pleaded not guilty to charges and is set to appear in court next week.

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