Massachusetts Man Faces Additional Embezzlement Charges

Jeffrey Windle, 41, of Harwich, Massachusetts, was indicted on superseding charges that include tax evasion in addition to the original charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The indictment also includes orders of forfeiture of certain assets. Windle is accused of embezzling $12,444, 766 from his employer, Cambium Learning, Inc. of Natick, Mass, as well as between $200,000 and $400,000 from the South Dennis Congregational Church where he was a volunteer treasurer. Windle served as Cambium Learning's Director of Budget and Finance. He was arrested in early May 2008 and has been in federal detention since. Church officials state that Windle's theft was more like $800,000. Windle reportedly set up fake entities and wire transferred funds from company accounts and then created bogus financial spreadsheets to cover up the theft.

Windle has a previous conviction for tax evasion where he served 18 months in federal facility during 1997 and 1998. He also has four bankruptcies and four foreclosures to his record, according to press reports. Windle used his ill gotten gains to support a lavish lifestyle and to purchase 5 homes and numerous yachts and luxury automobiles in Florida and Massachusetts. Authorities have already seized three homes, 5 boats and several automobiles. Windle faces 20 years in prison plus fines of $250,000 for each conviction on wire fraud and mail fraud, plus 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for a conviction on the money laundering charge. He also faces 3 years supervised probation for each conviction.

The Cape Cod Times has been all over this story. Read here, here, here and here.

There is no reason Windle should have been hired in any financial capacity after his original tax evasion conviction and the four bankruptcies and four foreclosure cases. This guy is a serial embezzler and a little due diligence would have gone a long way.