(PressDemocrat) - Friends of Chris Edwards describe the Napa man as a friendly, thoughtful guy who was always there when they needed him.

But interviews and public records reveal a side of Edwards that few knew before the wine executive was accused this week of embezzling $900,000 from his employer.

In 1993, Edwards was convicted of multiple counts of larceny in North Carolina, for amounts exceeding $200, according to public records. Then, as an executive at the wine company New Vine Logistics in 2005, he was accused of depositing three of the company’s checks, totaling about $1,300, into an account in his name, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, after a two-month investigation by the FBI, Martin Christopher Edwards, who went by “Chris” in Wine Country, was accused of siphoning money from The Wine Tasting Network, a subsidiary of 1-800-Flowers.com.

Now, the company has shuttered its Napa direct-to-consumer wine shipping office and shifted those operations to Chicago, a company spokesman confirmed.