Wilson Trophy alleges $2.3M theft by former executive amid trade-secret lawsuit

Sacramento-based Wilson Trophy says a former vice president faces a federal wire fraud charge tied to an alleged $2.3 million theft, while the company pursues a separate civil case over confidential information and a competing awards business. The disputes have put a nearly 60-year-old family business under legal and operational strain.

Why it matters: - Wilson Trophy says the alleged misconduct hit both the company’s finances and its long-running customer relationships. - The case also raises trade-secret and unfair-competition questions tied to a new rival, Alps Awards LLC. - Wilson Trophy has already absorbed customer losses and says it remains operational while tightening controls.

What happened: - Federal prosecutors charged former Wilson Trophy Vice President and Executive Manager Christopher William Edward Abplanalp, 38, of Roseville, with wire fraud in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. - The charge was filed Sept. 2 in United States v. Christopher William Edward Abplanalp, Case No. 2:26-cr-00156-DAD. - Wilson Trophy said it acknowledged the charge on Sept. 7, 2026. - The FBI investigated the case with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. - Abplanalp is scheduled for arraignment Sept. 8 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremy D. Peterson.

The details: - Prosecutors allege Abplanalp used his executive role between February 2023 and July 2025 to divert more than $2.3 million from Wilson Trophy. - Prosecutors say most of the money went to gambling. - Court documents allege Abplanalp moved funds from Wilson Trophy’s online payment-processing account to his personal account and to friends or acquaintances. - Prosecutors also allege that between late May and early July 2025, Abplanalp ran a Wilson Trophy client’s credit card 52 times for items the client never ordered and for invoices that did not exist. - The government says that caused Wilson Trophy to improperly receive more than $643,000, which Abplanalp then allegedly transferred to his personal account. - Prosecutors further allege Abplanalp directed client payments and vendor refunds to himself and altered, deleted or falsified entries in Wilson Trophy’s accounting software to hide the alleged theft. - If convicted, Abplanalp faces up to 20 years in prison, plus fines, restitution and forfeiture. - The charge is an allegation, and Abplanalp is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. - Wilson Trophy said it reported the irregularities to federal law enforcement and cooperated throughout the investigation. - Wilson Trophy said it made whole every customer who suffered a loss from the alleged conduct and absorbed those losses itself. - Jesse Loomis, Wilson Trophy’s chief administrative officer, said the alleged conduct caused profound financial and personal harm to the company, its family owners, employees and the business they have built over generations.

Between the lines: - The criminal case is separate from a Sacramento County Superior Court civil action Wilson Trophy filed against Christopher Abplanalp, Holly Lynn Abplanalp, also known as Holly Lynn Reed, and Alps Awards LLC. - Christopher and Holly Abplanalp each worked for Wilson Trophy for about two decades before resigning in July 2025. - Christopher served as vice president and executive manager; Holly served as bookkeeper with controller-level access to financial records. - The domain alpsawards.com was registered shortly after the resignations. - Alps Awards LLC, a competing recognition-products business, was organized in the following months with Christopher Abplanalp as organizer and manager. - Wilson Trophy’s verified complaint alleges the former employees took and then used confidential customer sales data and proprietary manufacturing information in connection with Alps Awards. - On June 16, 2026, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge granted Wilson Trophy a Temporary Restraining Order. - The court found Wilson Trophy had shown a likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable injury and a balance of equities favoring temporary relief. - The order bars defendants from using or disclosing Wilson Trophy’s confidential and trade-secret information and requires preservation of relevant evidence. - The civil claims have not been fully adjudicated, and defendants can contest them. - Mrs. Loomis said the federal case and civil case involve separate legal issues but both have required Wilson Trophy to take significant steps to protect the company, customers and decades of employee work product.

What's next: - Abplanalp’s arraignment is set for Sept. 8. - The criminal case will proceed through federal court if prosecutors continue to press the charge. - The civil case will continue in Sacramento County Superior Court as the parties litigate the trade-secret and competition claims. - Wilson Trophy said it has strengthened financial controls, information-security practices and internal procedures in response to the investigation and litigation. - The Sacramento-based family business said it remains fully operational.

The bottom line: - A longtime Sacramento family business is fighting two fronts at once: a federal theft case against a former top executive and a civil dispute over customer data and a rival awards company.