Employee accused of stealing $117,000 in equipment

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published January 02, 2009

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OLYMPIA – A former employee of an Olympia-area fitness company pleaded not guilty this week to first-degree theft and possession of stolen property for allegedly taking equipment that had been traded in or repurchased by the company, then reselling it.

Life Fitness began investigating the alleged theft by Lawrence Ruiz in 2007. Ruiz, 41, has an Olympia address, but his phone number is unlisted and he couldn't be reached for comment.

The equipment Ruiz is accused of stealing is valued at more than $117,000.

"Since approximately 2001 it is alleged that Mr. Ruiz would take discarded pieces of equipment from Life Fitness and them refurbish and re-sell them via his own company, as a side business," court papers state. "This practice was prohibited by Life Fitness. Life Fitness scraps the equipment that is either traded-in or purchased back from customers."

Ruiz refurbished the equipment, removed the serial numbers and resold the equipment to athletic clubs.

A loss-prevention officer hired by Life Fitness spoke with Ruiz's estranged wife, and with her assistance was able to secure 27 pieces of equipment from Ruiz's storage facilities, court papers state.

Ruiz was allowed to remain out of custody without posting bail after his arraignment Tuesday.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.