Furniture-for-carpet deal yields embezzlement charge

A 23-year-old Reno man was arrested Nov. 6 after he reportedly arranged to trade more than $8,000 in carpeting for $5,000 in furniture delivered to his Reno home.

Chad Grayot was jailed on an embezzlement charge after the unauthorized deal came to the attention of his boss, Roger Pierce, owner of Roger's Carpet One in north Douglas County.

According to reports, Pierce was contacted Thursday by a JM Furniture employee who said Grayot still owed $647 for the furniture he received in trade for the carpeting.

Pierce told deputies he was unaware of the transaction and wanted to file criminal charges against Grayot.

Pierce was told that the JM Furniture needed carpet installed at their Carson City store and Grayot arranged the deal with the furniture store's general manager.

Grayot reportedly drafted an invoice for $8,238 for installing the carpet and made a deal to take $4,943 worth of furniture in trade.

The difference was charged to the furniture store's credit card with the balance that Grayot reportedly agreed to pay.

Pierce estimated his loss at $4,296 and told authorities Grayot was never authorized to make the deal.

Grayot admitted he was not authorized to make the transaction and said the bedroom set and mattress were delivered to his Reno residence.

He was released on a $5,000 bond and is set for a Jan. 4 court appearance in East Fork Justice Court.

When he was 19, Grayot was sentenced in February 2006 to five years probation in lieu of a 10-year-prison sentence for trafficking in cocaine.

He was arrested Dec. 21, 2005, with two codefendants for his part in the sale of 28 grams of cocaine to an undercover informant.

He received an honorable discharge from probation in March.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Mr. Grayot was on probation at the time of the alleged offense. He was honorably discharged from probation in March, having served three years of a five-year term.