Former Sacramento News & Review sales director Jeff Lang is being accused of embezzlement and conspiracy in Humboldt County, Calif. after allegedly stealing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from a previous employer and other small businesses.

North Coast Journal — which Lang allegedly bilked out of $4,000 — reported the on case yesterday:

Last Monday was just the first chapter in what is bound to be a colorful trial, given the number of local businesses and local media outlets allegedly burned by Lang and [Marcie] Wright during a money-grabbing spree in 2006-07 — starting, most tragically, with their employer. Lang was an Adcom sales representative and Wright its office manager at the time, and according to court documents the two are being charged with forging company checks, maxing out company credit cards and wiring money out of company accounts to place into their own. By the time the alleged embezzlement frenzy was over, Adcom was mortally wounded.

In addition, a police affidavit charges Lang with convincing at least one advertising client to write checks to him, personally, rather than the agency. Their money, which was supposed to pay media outlets such as Morrill’s to run advertisements, appears never to have arrived at its intended destination.

Lang resigned from News & Review on November 29, the same date as his arraignment hearing.