Ex-CFO Caught Stealing From Tommy Hilfiger

The former chief financial officer of a company that designed handbags for Tommy Hilfiger has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for stealing nearly $20 million from his employer.

Martin Bodner was sentenced Friday in federal court in Manhattan. He sobbed as he apologized to those hurt by the theft.

Judge P. Kevin Castel said the sentence was appropriate as a deterrent to others.

Bodner pleaded guilty in September to mail and wire fraud. He agreed to give up property including a Manhattan apartment and a home in Sands Point, on Long Island.

Prosecutors say Bodner stole the money between 2000 and last year from Tommy Hilfiger Handbags and Small Leather Goods Inc. He arranged reimbursements for phony expenses and added a son to the payroll although he didn't work there, among other schemes.