Maine Woman Sentenced For Embezzling From Family Business

Paula Caron, 52, of Waterville, Maine, was sentenced yesterday to 9 years in prison for embezzling nearly $1 million from the family business, Winslow Aluminum, Inc. The fraud occurred over a four year period from 2003 to 2007. Caron, the company's bookkeeper and daughter of the founder, was apparently able to circumvent all controls. She was originally indicted on one count of illegal taking" in January and plead guily to theft charges in May this year. She recently returned a small portion of the money when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Caron's sentence was suspended down to 3 1/2 years, plus probation and restitution of some $770,000. Yes, its all female fraud day today. Family businesses are also susceptible to this kind of fraud since most family members tend to trust eachother to a high degree and there also tend to be a lack of controls. You can bet that something was going on with Caron that made her think she could simply take from the company and not get caught eventually.