Court document: Former employee owes more than $3 million to Apollo Oil in Winchester

WINCHESTER — A former employee of Apollo Oil LLC owes more than $3 million that he stole from the company, a court document says.

Clark Circuit Judge William Clouse signed an agreed judgment in late July ordering Bradley E. Taylor to pay $3.05 million plus 12 percent annual interest. The document said it was filed by agreement of the parties.

Taylor, 37, was employed by Apollo, a lubricant company in Winchester, from May 2000 through September 2014. He held various roles there, including operations manager. His responsibilities included managing inventory levels, working with the warehouse and off-site personnel, and reviewing bills of lading and invoices.

The company said in a civil suit filed last year that Taylor "caused false bills of lading to be delivered to Apollo Oil for delivery of products never received."

Apollo paid the invoices with checks, and Taylor "cashed the checks for his personal use," the suit said.

The theft was discovered last August, when Apollo Oil employees began reviewing inventory discrepancies. Apollo Oil contacted the FBI, and during an investigation, Taylor admitted the theft, the lawsuit said.

The suit said Taylor formed a company called BCW LLC, but that "shell company" didn't conduct any legitimate business.

Taylor ordered products for Apollo's use "when, in fact, he knew the selling company was his own shell company and no such product would actually be delivered," the suit said.

No criminal charges or indictments have been filed in the case in Clark County or in federal court in Lexington.

Adam Back, a Lexington attorney representing Apollo Oil, and Kathryn Walton, a Lexington attorney representing Taylor, could not be reached for comment.

Apollo Oil provides oils and other products from Valvoline, Shell, Castrol and other manufacturers to car dealerships, quick-lube stores, trucking companies and factories.

This story was originally published August 12, 2015 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Court document: Former employee owes more than $3 million to Apollo Oil in Winchester."