This Might Be the Weirdest Detail in Any Embezzling Suit

De Niro's company says ex-employee binge-watched 55 episodes of 'Friends'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 20, 2019 1:55 PM CDT
This Might Be the Weirdest Detail in Any Embezzling Suit
Robert De Niro attends the American Icon Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 19, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Robert De Niro's production company is going after a former employee it accuses of embezzling, and the lawsuit spotted by Variety has an odd and entertainment-esque detail. It accuses Chase Robinson of binge-watching an impressive 55 episodes of Friends over a four-day period in January while on the job. For good measure, she also allegedly watched 20 episodes of Arrested Development and 10 episodes of Schitt's Creek over a four-day stretch in March, also while on the job. Not surprisingly, the accusations brought by De Niro's Canal Productions aren't just about watching TV on the sly. Robinson, the company's vice president of production and finance, also is accused of misusing the company credit card for lavish personal spending and pilfering De Niro's own frequent-flyer miles.

The latter is no small thing. Page Six reports that she allegedly used and transferred to herself millions of his miles, at an estimated total value of $125,000. In her VP position, she approved her own inappropriate spending and trips, often running up huge tabs, according to the lawsuit, which references $1,311 in allegedly spending on flowers for her birthday. Robinson began working as an assistant to De Niro in 2008 before rising through the production company ranks. She had been earning a salary of $300,000 when she resigned in April after suspicions sprang up about her "honesty, integrity, work ethic, and motivation," per the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. (One of De Niro's recent gigs involved him playing none other than Robert Mueller.)

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