Major Embezzlement Cases: September 1 - 7, 2012

Paul Nogaki

Paul Takuya Nogaki, 55, of Murrieta, California, was arrested on charges he embezzled as much as $135,000 from the Vista Murrieta Golden Alliance Band Boosters for which he had served as treasurer.  According to media reports, an informal audit was conducted after a new treasurer was appointed which confirmed that Nogaki had misappropriated Band Booster Club funds for his personal use. 

Update (10/24/12): Nogaki has pleaded not guilty to the embezzlement charges of what is now believed to be more than $212,000.  His thefts allegedly spanned a 2 year period.

Todd W. Lauzon, 39, of Woonsockett, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty to 30 counts of embezzlement in connection with his alleged theft of at least $137,000 from customer deposits for pre-payment of funderal services with his business, Lauzon Funeral Home.  Prosecutors allege that Lauzon misappropriated client funds over a 7 year period, from 2002 to 2009. 

Update (9/5/12): Lauzon was sentenced to a net 4 years in prison.

Patricia Ann Stanz, 61, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled more than $525,000 from the Gesu Roman Catholic Church in West Toledo, Ohio where she had served as business manager.  Over a period of about 3 years, from June 2008 through August 2011, Stanz issued nearly 100 checks to herself or cash.  During this period she also abused church credit card accounts for her own benefit.  Specifically, Stanz pleaded guilty to one count each of counterfeit securities and of fraudulent use of access device.  Stanz reportedly blames a gambling addiction for her actions.

Update (2/23/13): Stanz was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to repay $505,777 in restitution.

The late Linda Mae Jenkins, who passed away at 53 on March 24, 2012 from cancer, is reported to have embezzled about $140,000 from Old Orchard Beach, Maine's Libby Memorial Library, where she had served as bookeeper.  Jenkins' thefts reportedly spanned a 6 year period.  Officials blamed a complete lack of oversight for the embezzlement.

Charity Howder

Charity D. Howder, 36, of Santa Rosa, California, has been arrested on charges she embezzled some $262,000 from a Petaluma consulting company and a Rohnert Park law office where she had served as outside bookkeeper.  Howder allegedly wrote numerous checks from the accounts of her two clients, The Law Offices of Charlotte Creaghan and Project Management Solutions, Inc., for her own benefit.  Specifically, Howder has been charged with one count of grand theft and two counts of forgery. 

Update (12/3/12): Howder is now suspected of embezzling an additional $102,000 from a third client, Andreoli's Towing, through her bookkeeping business, G&C Financial. 

Two former North Carolina Central University administrators were indicted for allegedly conspiring to misappropriate more than $1 milliion from the institution.  The two include Nan Coleman, who administered the former Historically Minority Colleges and Universities Consortium, and former NCCU Provost Beverly Washington Jones.  Coleman and Jones allegedly embezzling $137,330 and $62,128, respectively, in grant money meant to help African American students.  Coleman allegedly stole the funds over a 5 year period, from 2005 through 2010 and Jones misappropriated the funds over a 4 year period, from 2005 through 2009.  An additional $600,000 was allegedly diverted to a private account used by Coleman to pay for personal expenses over a nine month period between December 2008 and August 2009. 

Texas Woman Sentenced From Embezzling $175K From Bank

Priscilla Delarosa, 32, of Lamesa, Texas, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for embezzling more than $175,000 from Compass Bank where she had been employed.  According to authorities, Delarosa abused a bank client's debit card for her own benefit.  Delarosa was originally indicted in October 2011 and charged with additional counts of fraud with use of an access device and with making false statements to investigators.  The fraud spanned an unspecified period of time.


Read the story here, here and here.

Pennsylvania Woman Charged With Embezzling $186K From Orchestra

Phyllis Ann (LoPresti) Shoff, 55, formerly of Dover Township, Pennsylvania and currently of Cumberland, Pennsylvania has been charged with embezzling about $186,000 from the York Symphony Orchestra where she had been employed as office manager.  According to authorities, over a period of nearly 4 years, from July 2007 to May 2011, Shoff used several different schemes to siphon funds from the orchestra for her own benefit.  She is believed to have issued checks to her own benefit, among other means of theft.  Shoff reportedly used the misappropriated funds to support a gambling problem.  She has been charged with five counts of theft by deception and two counts of access device fraud.  Shoff had been the office manager for the York Symphony Orchestra for about 8 years. 

Read the story here and here.

Update (4/6/12): Shoff, now 56, has pleaded guilty to more than what is now understood to be $200,000 from the York Symphony Orchestra. 

Pennsylvania Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling $100K

Carol Leonhardt, 47, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has been charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from Giles and Ransome Inc., a construction equipment company, where she had been employed as a bookkeeper. According to authorities, Leonhardt wrote checks to herself from company accounts. She reportedly was having financial difficulties and was afraid of losing her home. Leonhardt has been charged with felony theft, forgery and access device fraud. According to media reports, Leonhardt told police investigators that "the more she took the easier it became."

Read the story here.

Former New Jersey-Based Transportation Manager Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $650K From Shipping Company

Michael Hamm, 48, formerly of Flemington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to one count of access device fraud in connection with his alleged embezzlement of more than $650,000 from an unnamed shipping company for which he had been employed as a transportation manager. Prosecutors alleged Hamm used his position to order extra fuel cards, then altered them to allow for cash withdrawals at ATM machines. He also allegedly falsified invoices to conceal the theft. Hamm faces up to 15 years in prison upon sentencing, scheduled for August 9th. He must also pay full restitution.

Read the story here and here.

Update (10/20/10): Hamm, now 49, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for embezzling $659,383. His thefts spanned about 2 1/2 years.