Arizona Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $425K From Restaurant

Amy Paulette Montano, 40, of Tucson, Arizona, has pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled some $425,000 from Miller Administration, which owns Eegee's restaurant, where she had been employed as an account manager.  According to authorities, Montano admitted she wrote herself checks from company coffers over a period of more than three years in addition to her salary.  She plead guilty to state charges of illegal control of an enterprise and theft.  Montano is due to be sentenced on January 9, 2012. 

Read the story here.

Colorado Woman Accused Of Embezzling $226K

Lisa Dawn Mack, 42, formerly of Garfield County, Colorado and recently of Wolfforth, Texas, has been arrested and charged with embezzling a total of $226,000 from the Valley View Hospital where she had been employed as a bookkeeper and one of its employees.  According to authorities, over a two year period from 2009 to 2011, Mack obtained fraudulent reimbursements from the Hospital, some funnelled through another employee, her daughter-in-law, Donna Michelle Sandel, 25, from whom she also allegedly stole money.  Mack reportedly has a prior arrest for theft in Texas in 1995 and has used a variety of aliases, including, Lisa Dawn Stabeno, Lisa Dawn Crow, Lisa Dawn Forrest, Lisa Stanford Forrest, Lisa Stambeno and Lisa Dawn Stanford.

Read the story here.

Update (6/26/12): Mack, now 43, has pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of felony theft in an embezzlement. 

Utah Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $152K From Bank

Carrie Lyn Zenger, 45, of Clearfield, Utah, has pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled about $152,000 from the Intermountain Credit Union where she had been employed.  According to prosecutors, Zenger simply took cash from the bank's vault over a period of nearly 2 years, from January 2007 until October 2008.  Zenger reportedly has a history of personal financial problems, including two bankruptcies in her past.

Developing...

Read the story here.

Former President Of Florida Condo Association Accused Of Embezzling More Than $1 Million

The former president of the Sabal Springs Golf and Raquet Club homeowners association has been accused of embezzling more than $1 million over the course of three years.  The unnamed perpetrator allegedly wrote checks or transferred funds from association coffers to himself or for his own benefit.

Developing...

Read the story here.

Colorado Man Guilty Of Embezzling $195K From California Construction Company

Thomas Tanke, 67, formerly of El Dorado Hills, California and currently of Monument, Colorado, has been found guilty of embezzling about $195,000 from Azteca Construction Inc., where he had been employed as Vice President of East Coast Operations.  A federal jury found Tanke guilty on two counts of mail fraud and five counts of bank fraud after a 5 day trial.  According to prosecutors, in 2004 when the company and an affiliate were in the process of winding down operations and selling off equipment, Tanke keep receipts and deposited them into his own accounts.  He also use company checks to pay for personal expenses and personal credits, such as his auto loan.  He is due to be sentenced on March 2, 2012. 

Read the story here and here.

Read the DOJ announcement here.

Update (7/6/12): Tanke, now 68, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $243,403 in restitution. 

Connecticut Woman Sentenced For Embezzling More Than $1 Million From Mark Twain House

Donna M. Gregor, 54, of East Hartford, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for embezzling more than $1 million from the Mark Twain House and Museum where she had been employed as controller.  According to authorities, over a period of 8 years, from 2002 to 2010, Gregor siphoned funds from the non-profit by forging checks for her own benefit, among other things.  Gregor's defense sought leniency since they claimed that Gregor suffered from a condition called "pathological altruism," an irrational compulsion to help others while ignoring the consequences of her behavior.  The judge did not buy that argument.  Gregor was also ordered to pay $1.08 million in restitution, plus $323,480 to the IRS for back taxes, penalties and interest on the stolen money.  Gregor had worked for the Mark Twian House for many years.

Read the story here and here.

Indiana Woman Sentenced For Embezzling More Than $250K From Church

Phyllis Jones, 68, of Petersburg, Indiana, has been sentenced to three years in jail for embezzling more than $250,000 from the Gospel Center Church where she had served as treasurer.  According to authorities, over the course of more than 7 years, from January 2003 to April 2010, Jones issued herself numerous checks from church coffers for her own benefit.  Jones was originally arrested in October 2010 and charged with the theft of $257,000. 

Read the story here and here.

Iowa Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $480K

Stacey Lynne Gross, 38, of Adel, Iowa, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled at least $480,000 from Data Business Equipment, Inc., where she had been employed as a bookkeeper/office manager in charge of vendor payments.  According to authorities, over a period of about 4 years, from 2007 to 2011, Gross wrote at least 190 unauthorized checks from company coffers for her own benefit.  The checks went to pay for Gross' personal credit card, mortgage and to pay for furniture, jewelry and other personal expenses.  Gross also admitted to making false entries in the company’s books to conceal her embezzlement by entering the name of a real vendor as “payee” in the ledger.  Gross pleaded guilty to felony mail fraud and tax fraud charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 17, 2012.  As part of her plea agreement, Gross must also make restitution to Data Business Equipment, Inc.

Read the story here and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

Update (2/17/12): Gross was sentenced to 20 months in prison for embezzling what is now believed to be at least $518,000.   She was also ordered to pay full restitution. 

Former Indiana State Trooper Pleads Guilty To Embezzling Nearly $100K

Dallard R. Tackett, 60, of Nappanee, Indiana, a former Indiana State Trooper, has pleaded guilty to charges he embezzled more than $90,000 from state coffers.  According to authorities, Tackett, a former lieutenant with the Indiana State Police who oversaw toll collections, siphoned toll receipts transferring them into his own accounts over a period of about 3 years.  Specifically, Tackett plead guilty to 17 fraud counts and is due to be sentenced in January 2012.  Tackett had been a 31 year veteran of the Indiana State Police.

Read the story here, here and here.

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $2.3 Million From 2 Companies

Shaun Allen Clark, age 33, of Newark, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $2.3 million from The Scotts Company and Ohio Bridge Corporation, aka US Bridge, where he had been employed as controller.   According to authorities, in early 2008, Clark wrote two unauthorized checks to himself totalling $24,450 from The Scotts Company after which time he began to work for US Bridge.  Prosecutors alleged that from April 2008 to September 2009, Clark embezzled another $2,310,006 from US Bridge by issuing unauthorized electronic funds transfers to his own accounts. Clark also is reported to owe $336,028 in back taxes to the IRS on the ill-gotten gains.   According to media reports, Clark has a prior conviction for embezzling some $40,000 from Huntington National Bank in the late 1990s where he had been employed as a bank teller.

Read the story here and here.

Montana Woman Charged With Embezzling $171K From Hospice

Sandra Lea Morrison, 43, of Missoula, Montana, has been charged with embezzling $171,000 from the Hospice of Missoula, where she had been employed as a bookkeeper.  According to authorities, over more than a three year period, from July 26, 2007 until April 22, 2011, Morrison transferred funds to her own accounts from the hospice accounts and otherwise misappropriated funds from the non-profit.  She is also alleged to have issued herself additional paychecks and made fraudulent reimbursements to herself.  Morrison has been charged with three felony counts of Theft of Property by Embezzlement and one felony count of Theft by Embezzlement.

Read the story here and here.

White Collar Rogue's Gallery

Visit Marquet International's updated and expanded White Collar Rogue's Gallery with profiles of 36 notorious US white collar fraudsters in recent (and some past) history.

Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $450K From Bank

Danielle M. Keane, 38, of Greenfield, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for embezzling $450,037 from Bank of New York Mellon where she had been employed as a data entry clerk.  According to authorities, over a period of about three years, from 2007 to 2010, Keane executed at least 239 fraudulent transactions, siphoning funds from bank client retirement accounts with checks or electronic transfers.  Prosecutors contended that Keane stole the money in part to support a drug habit.  She has also been ordered to pay restitution.

Read the story here and here.

Kentucky Woman Charged With Embezzling More Than $200K From Charity

Kathy Montfort

Mary "Kathy" Montfort, 53, of Louisville, Kentucky, has been charged with embezzling at least $200,000 from the Little Sisters of the Poor charity where she had served as bookkeeper.  According to authorities, the thefts date back to at least 2007 when Montfort allegedly began forging checks payable to herself or her creditors or otherwise for her and her family's own benefit and continued until the beginning of this month.  She is accused of writing some 43 fraudulent checks in just the past year and a half totalling $200,294.84.  The full extent of Montfort's fraud is not yet determined. 

Read the story here, here and here.

Update (4/2/12): Montfort, now 54, has pleaded guilty to embezzling what is now known to be $364,135  from the Little Sisters of the Poor charity by writing checks to herself or otherwise for her own benefit.

Update (9/5/12): Montfort has been sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay full restitution.

Texas Woman Charged With Embezzling As Much As $200K

Angela M. Blackwood Smith, 33, of Paradise, Texas, has been charged with embezzling as much as $200,000 from Cobb Rental and Equipment where she had been employed as office manager.  According to authorities, over a period of about 3 years, from 2008 until June 2011, Smith used company credit cards and bank accounts to pay her own bills. 

Developing...

Read the story here.

Illinois Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $271K From Eyecare Center

Tami I. Loy, 51, of Sullivan, Illinois, has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for embezzling more than $271,000 from Mattoon Eye Center where she had been employed as office manager.  According to authorities, over a period of at least 5 years from 2002 to 2007, Loy siphoned funds from the company's employee profit-sharing plan.  She was accused of creating phony accounts and falsifying bank statements and profit-sharing statements.  Loy has also been ordered to pay $271,994 in restitution as well as more than $62,000 in back federal taxes on the ill-gotten gains.  Loy is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2011. 

Read the story here and here.

Texas Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling At Least $100K From Bank

Lori Smith Pickens, 39, of Grand Saline, Texas, has pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled more than $102,000 from customer accounts at the local Austin Bank branch where she had been employed as a teller.  Pickens reportedly worked at the bank from May 2008 to July 2010.  Authorities allege that Pickens made unauthorized cash withdrawals from numerous accounts, but the exact amount misappropriated has not yet been determined. 

Developing...

Read the story here.

Update (4/12/12): Pickens, now 40, has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison.  She has also been ordered to make full restitution.

2 Former Execs Of California Municipal Redevelopment Agency Plead Guilty To Embezzling $800K

Carolyn Y. Smith, 54, of San Diego, California, together with Dante Dayacap, 62, also of San Diego, pleaded guilty to charges they conspired to fleece as much as $800,000 from the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. where they has served as president and finance director, respectively.  According to authorities, Smith and Dayacap circumvented board of director authorities to pay themselves unauthorized bonuses and salary over a period of several years.  Smith and Dayacap each pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling public funds in exchange for dropping four other felony counts, including conspiracy to commit a crime, two other counts of embezzlement of public funds and one count of misappropriation of public funds.  Sentencing for the two, who were originally charged criminally by the State of California in May 2011, is scheduled for January 20, 2012.  Smith is reported to be the daughter of the prominent Rev. George Walker Smith.  Dayacap reportedly has a long history of financial problems, including three personal bankruptcies.

Read the story here and here.

Kentucky Pastor Accused Of Looting Church To The Tune Of $300K

Billy Owen Minix, 42, of Scottsville, Kentucky, has been charged with embezzling at least $300,000 from the Gospel Outreach Church where he had served as pastor, treasurer and secretary.  According to authorities, Minix siphoned funds, including cash donations, from the church over a period of 12 years.  According to reports, the church did not have a bank account and Minx simply deposited receipts into his own accounts and spent the money for his own benefit.

Read the story here and here.

Clayton Smart's $70 Million Cemetery Embezzlement Case Wraps Up

Clayton Smart, 71, who is from Okmulgee, Oklahoma, plead guilty to charges he embezzled some $70 million from 13,000 trust accounts at numerous cemeteries in Michigan and Tennessee which he owned.  Yesterday he was ordered to repay $30 million to his former Michigan clients and $10 million to his former Tennessee clients.  In September, Smart was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, plus pay restitution, after pleading guilty to 39 felony fraud counts filed in Michigan.  Smart is currently in federal prison for tax evasion charges filed in a related case following the 4 year term he already spent in prison in Shelby County, Tennessee.  Smart allegedly conspired with several others, including business partner Stephen Smith, 64, of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Carter Conrad Green, 71, of Henderson, Nevada and Smart's financial advisor, Mark Singer, 45, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Smart's house of cards crumbled in July 2006, leading to fraud charges in late April 2007.  The fleecing of customer trust accounts for pre-paid funerals and cemetery maintenance spanned a period of about 2 1/2 years, from June 1, 2004 through December 31, 2006. 

Read the story here, here, here and here.

Michigan Woman Charged With Embezzling More Than $100K From Credit Union

Kristen J. Taft, 57, of Portage, Michigan, has been charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from the St. Joseph Valley Community Federal Credit Union where she had served as President.  Details of the case have not yet been released.

Developing...

Read the story here.

New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $560K From Union

James J. Kearney Jr., 44, of Bayonne, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to charges he embezzle more than $560,000 from the International Association Of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers (Local 45 ), where he had served as secretary-treasurer. According to prosecutors, over a period of nearly 2 years, from January 2009 through September 2010, Kearney withdrew about $471,000 in cash from union accounts and kept $90,365 in receipts from membership dues for his own benefit.  In all, prosecutors alleged that Kearney misappropriated $561,365 from the union.  He pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of embezzlement and faces up to 20 years in prison, plus restitution.  Kearney is scheduled to be sentenced on February 21, 2012.

Read the story here and here.

Read the DOJ announcement here.

Update (5/10/12): Kearney has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. 

Short Video On Ponzi Schemes

Watch a 3 1/2 minute primer on Ponzi Schemes from the New York Times, "Giving Fraud A Bad Name," here. 

West Virginia Woman Charged With Embezzling $237K From Convention Center

Tracie Breedlove Dennis, 38, of Charleston, West Virginia, has been charged with embezzling as much $237,000 from the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau where she had served as a director of operations.  According to authorities, over a period of more than one year, Dennis wrote unauthorized checks to pay for her personal expenses or otherwise for her own benefit.  Dennis allegedly forged checks requiring two signatures.  Specifically, Dennis has been charged with two counts of forgery and uttering and two counts of embezzlement.

Read the story here and here.

Mississippi Man Indicted For Allegedly Embezzling $130K

John Barry Norris of Pascagoula, Mississippi, has been indicted on charges he embezzled $130,155 from Rolls Royce Naval Marine where he had been employed as a site manager.  According to prosecutors, Norris siphoned the funds from the company over a period of about six months, until February 2011.  Details have yet to be disclosed.

Read the story here.

Developing...

Vermont Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $325K From Eye Care Practice

Linda A. Belval, 52, of Morrisville, Vermont, pleaded guilty last month to embezzling about $325,000 from David H. Garbutt, O.D., a local optometrist where she had been employed as an office manager.  According to prosecutors, Belval wrote numerous unauthorized checks to herself over a 12 year period, from 1999 until February 2011.  Belval reportedly used several embezzlement schemes to misappropriate the monies, including fraudulently using a signature stamp to authorize checks, falsely reporting the money was paid to vendors, writing checks similar in size to her actual paychecks to cover her tracks, and reimbursing herself for fake office expenditures.  Belval plead guilty to one felony count of wire fraud.

Read the story here and here.

Update (4/24/12): Belval has been sentenced to nearly 2 years in prison.  She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last October.

Idaho Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $260K From Retailer

Susan Alene Hopkins, aka Susan Scott, 54, of Kootenai, Idaho, has pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled more than $260,000 from the Coldwater Creek retail company where she had been employed as an executive assistant.  According to prosecutors, over a period of about 4 years, from 2006 - 2010, Hopkins misappropriated monies from the company by abusing corporate credit cards for her own benefit.  Hopkins is also alleged to have embezzled funds from the Panhandle Alliance For Education, a nonprofit which raises funds for the Lake Pend Oreille School District.  She plead guilty to one count of grand theft in a plea agreement and was ordered to pay $251,943 in restitution over a 10-year period.  Hopkins is scheduled to be sentenced in February 2012. 

Read the story here and here.

Update (8/7/12): Hopkins has agreed to pay $246,561 in restitution and was ordered to serve 5 years in prison.

Update (10/9/12): Hopkins, now 55, has appealed her conviction to the Idaho Supreme Court.

Missouri Woman Charged With Embezzling Nearly $400K

Candace S. McLuckie, 52, of Chillicothe, Missouri, has been charged with embezzling nearly $400,000 from Sonoco Plastics where she had been employed as an HR supervisor.  According to authorities, over an 8 year period, from 2002 to 2010, McLuckie siphoned funds from the company, originally known as Associated Packaging Technology, by causing fraudulent transfers through the payroll system for her own benefit.  A reported $387,524 was misappropriated in this manner, according to reports.  McLuckie has been charged with 20 counts of class C felony theft and stealing. 

Read the story here, here and here.

New Jersey Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $1.1 Million From Law Firm

Kathleen Baker, 54, of Brick Township, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for embezzling some $1.1 million from an undisclosed law firm based in Lakewood, New Jersey, where she had been employed as office manager.  According to prosecutors, over a six year period from June 2003 to June 2009, Brick siphoned funds from the law firm by writing checks to herself and fictitious company called Corporate Solutions which she controlled.  Baker plead guilty last July to an Information charging her with one count of wire fraud.

Read the story here.

Read the DOJ announcement here.

Oregon Woman Charged With Embezzling $148K

Jane Lynn Sanders, 45, of Sandy, Oregon, has been charged with embezzling about $148,000 from the Eclectic Institute, a local producer of organic herbal supplements where she had been employed as an accountant.  Specifically, Sanders has been charged with 8 counts of first-degree aggravated theft, 10 counts of first-degree theft and 3 counts of falsifying business records.  According to authorities, over a period of about 2 years, from October 2008 through August 2010, Sanders siphoned funds from Eclectic and its two sister companies, Earth's Botanical Harvest and Eclectic Medical Publications.  Authorities alleged that Sanders paid company vendors with personal credit cards, then over-reimbursed herself by writing business checks to herself that were deposited into her personal bank account.  She is suspected of embezzling additional funds dating back to July 2006.  However, the statute of limitations ran out on the earlier thefts.

Read the story here, here and here.

Maryland Man Setenced For Embezzling $850K From DC Church

Jason Todd Reynolds, 40,  of Bowie, Maryland, has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison  for embezzling more than $850,000 from National City Christian Church of Washington, DC, where he had served as chief financial officer.  According to authorities, wrote checks to himself and abused church credit card and other accounts for his own benefit, including paying for "extravagant vacations, VIP tickets to NBA games, and fancy cars."  He was also accused of fraudulently taking out a $450,000 line of credit in the church's name for his own benefit as well.  Reynolds' various schemes spanned a period of five years, from 2003 to 2008.  He has been convicted on 12 felony counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, falsifying a loan application, aggravated identity theft and tax evasion.   Reynolds was ordered to pay $851,298 in restitution, plus $185,435 in back taxes on the ill-gotten gains.



Read the story here  and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

California Woman Charged With Embezzling $500K From College

Mandy Borquez, 33, of Los Angeles County, California, has been charged with embezzling about $500,000 from Antelope Valley College where she had been employed as an accounting assistant.  According to authorities, over the six year period of her employment with the college, from 2004 through 2010, Borquez siphoned the funds from the Student Development Office - funds generated through student fundraisers and concession sales.  The specific means by which she misappropriated the funds has not been disclosed.  Borquez has been charged with six felony counts of grand theft and identity theft. 

Read the story here, here and here.

Nebraska Woman Arrested For Allegedly Embezzling $114K From Bookseller

Melissa Sue Ormonde, 39, of Hickman, Nebraska, has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling $114,672.80 from Nebraska Book Co. where she had been employed as a bookkeeper.  According to authorities, Ormonde created two fraudulent payroll accounts in June 2010 that deposited payroll funds directly into her own accounts on a regular basis until the time of her arrest.  A total of 47 deposits were made via the phony payroll accounts.  She has been arrested on one felony theft by deception and two identity theft charges.  Ormonde had been an employee of the company since 2007.

Read the story here and here.

Update (8/21/12): Ormonde has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for embezzling what is now understood to be $115,700.  Ormonde was also ordered to pay $237,823 in restitution.

Trial Rescheduled For Iowa Woman, Accused Of Embezzling $102K From Municipality

The trial for Amber Franklin, 45, of Alburnett, Iowa, has been rescheduled for January 30, 2012, wherein she is accused of embezzling about $102,000 from the Municipality of Alburnett where she had served as city clerk.  According to authorities, Franklin paid herself extra with checks as well as through the payroll system and other unauthorized reimbursements.  The misappropriations ocurred over a nearly 4 year period, from January 2006 through December 31, 2009.

Read the story here, here and here.

Colorado Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $1 Million From State Public Employee's Retirement Association

Beth Ann Roybal, 53, of Denver, Colorado, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for embezzling some $1 million from the Colorado Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA), where she had been employed as a senior portfolio manager for real estate.  According to authorities, over a period of 16 years, from 1993 until 2009 Roybal, skimmed rent checks and submitted fraudulent invoices for her own benefit on a property she managed on behalf of the Association.  Roybal was originally charged with 19 counts of felony theft and one count of forgery.  She plead guilty in August to one count of felony theft.  Roybal still faces a restitution hearing scheduled for November 21, 2011. 

Read the story here and here.

Washington State Woman Sentenced For Embezzling More Than $1 Million From Medical Offices

Suzanne Gale Foss, 64, of Tacoma, Washington, has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for embezzling at least $1,074,576 from Tacoma Orthopedic Surgeons Inc. where she had been employed as office manager for more that 25 years.  The medical office also operates as Gig Harbor Orthopaedic Surgeons and Gig Harbor Ambulatory Surgery Center.  The thefts spanned at least 7 years and involved Foss writing checks to pay personal vendors or otherwise for her own benefit.  She was sued in court by the medical practice, which won a civil judgment in the amount of $776,590 against Foss last year.  She was charged with two counts of First Degree Theft.  Foss reportedly was addicted to shopping, according to testimony given by her husband, Atie Foss. 

Read the story here, here and here.

Kansas Woman Charged With Embezzling $143K From Medical Offices

Cheryl D. McAnally, 50, of Lenexa, Kansas, has been charged with embezzling at least $143,000 from the Overland Park Regional Medical Center where she had been employed as Director of Medical Staff Services.  She is a registered nurse by training.  According to authorities, over a period of about 3 1/2 years, from February 2007 to August 2010, McAnally siphoned the funds from the medical offices in a scheme that involved check forgery.  McAnally has been charged with three counts of theft and four counts of forgery.

Read the story here and here.

Georgia Woman Indicted On Charges She Embezzled $600K

Cassandra Lynn Ursrey, 51, of Waycross, Georgia, has been indicted on charges she embezzled more than $600,000 from CMH Manufacturing, Inc. d/b/a Clayton-Waycross, where she had been employed as payroll coordinator.  According to prosecutors, over a period of 7 years, from 2003 to 2010, Ursrey created false time entries for more than 750 former Clayton employees, then collected more than 2,000 payroll checks in those employees' names and falsely endorsed and cashed those checks to her own benefit. Ursrey has been indicted on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

Read the story here and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $3.25 Million From Family Investment Firm

Anne Marie Connelly, 57, of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled some $3.25 million from Wholesale Realtor's Supply Inc., a local family operated personal investment business where she had been employed as bookkeeper.  According to reports, Connelly wrote checks to herself, over a period of at least 6 years, from 2002 to 2008, to pay for personal vendors and otherwise for her own benefit.  The scheme unravelled after one of the company's banks informed the daughter of the owner that its account was overdrawn, prompting an internal investigation, including a forensic accounting review.  Connelly, who plead guilty to felony theft, faces up to 7 years in prison. 

Read the story here and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

Former Treasurer For Texas County Democratic Party In Trial For Embezzling $200K From Campaign Coffers

Dwayne Eugene Adams, 56, believed to be from San Antonio, Texas, is in trial accused of embezzling some $200,000 from campaign coffers of the Bexar County Democratic Party.  According to authorities, Adams siphoned the funds from Party accounts for his own benefit over a period of about a year.  According to media accounts, Adams falsified his educational background to get the job as treasurer.  He was indicted with felony theft and misapplication by a fiduciary in September 2010. 

Read the story here, here and here.

Note to self: Add Dwayne Adams to our Resume Liars Club. 

Former Dartmouth College Auditor Accused Of Embezzling "Hundreds Of Thousands" From Local Non-Profits Over 25 Year Period

Bruce McAllister, 78, of Thetford, Vermont, has been charged with embezzling "hundreds of thousands" of dollars from several non-profit organizations in New Hampshire and Vermont for which he had served as bookkeeper.  McAllister is a former auditor at Dartmouth College the prestigious Ivy League institution in Hanover, New Hampshire.  According to authorities, over a period of 25 years, from 1985 to 2010, McAllister siphoned funds from non-profits that included the Alpha Theta House, a co-ed fraternity at Dartmouth College and the Meccawe Club, a private trout fishing club.  McAllister and his wife Judith McAllister, have been named in civil actions by the fraternity and the fishing club to recover funds, according to reports.

Read the story here and here.

This one hits close to home as Dartmouth is my alma mater and I had friends in Alpha Theta.  I hope the College does a full audit of McAllister's last 5 years there.

Former Illinois Municipal Supervisor Charged With Embezzling As Much As $500K From Township

Rodney L. Deal, 55, of Otego Township, Illinois, has been charged with embezzling as much as $500,000 from the township where he had served as a municipal supervisor.  According to authorities, over a period of more than 2 years, from April 1, 1997 to May 1, 2009, Deal siphoned funds from the township.  He has been charged with two counts of theft and one count of official misconduct.

Read the story here and here.

Hat tip: anonymous FraudTalk reader.

Former Bookkeeper Of Washington, DC Landscaping Company Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $1.3 Million

Christopher F. Cunningham, 44, most recently of Spain where he had fled to avoid prosecution, has plead guilty to charges he embezzled some $1.3 million from a small unnamed landscaping company based in Washington, DC where he had been employed as bookkeeper.  According to authorities, over a five year period, Cunningham redirected what would have been legitimate vendor payments to himself or to his own creditors.  He also redirected client payments for his own benefit.  Cunningham pleaded guilty to one federal felony count of interstate transportation of money taken by fraud.  Cunningham faces up to 46 months in prison.

Read the story here and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

Update (2/8/12): Cunningham has been sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay $961,922 in restitution.  Federal authorities had previously seized $338,378 in assets from Cunningham.

Michigan Woman Charged With Embezzling More Than $100K From School

Keisha J. Veryser, 36, of Hayes Township, Michigan has been charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from the St. Mary School  in Charlevoix, Michigan, where she had served as principal.  According to prosecutors, over a period of about 3 1/2 years, from from September 2006 through March 2010, Veryser siphoned funds from school coffers to pay for personal expenses and for her own benefit.  Veryser has also been embroied in civil litigation with the Diocese of Gaylord, which sued her for recovery of funds.  She has also been charged with perjury as a result of allegedly false statements made in the civil matter.  She is due to go on trial for the criminal charges next April.

Read the story here and here.

Update (3/10/12): Veryser reached a plea agreement pleading guilty to 2 embezzlement charges.

Washington State Woman Sentenced For Embezzling Nearly $1 Million

Sarah Jane Johnson, 42, formerly of Redmond, Washington, has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for embezzling some $986,481 from Driessen Services Inc., an aircraft components manufacturing company where she had been employed as head of human resources with payroll responsibilities.  According to authorities, Johnson misdirected the funds through a payroll scheme which she recieved about $715,000 for herself and directed another $250,000 or so for state and federal payroll taxes.  Authorities alleged that Johnson kept former employees on the payroll for a period of time, directing their salaries into nine different account she controlled.  The thefts began in 2005 and spanned a 5 year period, but were not discovered until she left the company.  Johnson, who plead guilty to wire fraud earlier this year, has been ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution and will spend an additional 3 years on probation after her prison release.  Due to the thefts, the company reportedly had to layoff employees and freeze wages.

Read the story here and here.

Read the DOJ announcement here.

Former Bank Cashier In Iowa Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $6 Million Over 20 Year Period

George Todd Powers, 48, of Clarksville, Iowa has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $6 million from Iowa State Bank where he had been employed as a cashier.  According to authorities, over a period of about 20 years, from the Spring of 1991 to September 2010, Powers transferred funds from bank coffers to his own accounts.  He is also believed to have created false accounts and transaction entries to cover up the longtime misappropriations.  Prosecutors alleged that Powers embezzled at least $5,986,781.18 and spent some of the money on home improvements, luxury automobiles and other personal luxuries.  The bank has sued Powers in a civil action to recover funds.  He faces up to 32 years in prison, plus restitution and fines.

Read the story here and here.

Read the DOJ announcement here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk Reader Joe.

Update (3/8/12): Powers has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison.

Colorado Woman Accused Of Embezzling $460K; Bankrupting Company

Christina Michelle Bratcher, 43, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been accused of embezzling more than $460,000 from Colorado Welding Supply where she had been employed as a bookkeeper.  According to authorities, Bratcher forged more than 200 checks over a four year period, for her own benefit.  As a result of the losses, the company reportedly had to file for bankruptcy in August 2010.   The scheme unravelled after the IRS notified the business' owner, Eric Younger, that he had not paid his taxes.  An investigation ensued which revealed the fraud.  Bratcher is reportedly the daughter of a close friend of Younger and was a trusted employee.

Read the story here, here and here.

Update (5/11/12): Bratcher has pleaded guilty to felony theft and forgery charges.

Update (7/27/12): Bratcher, now 44, has been sentenced to 18 months in a jail work-release program and 12 years of intensive probation.  She has also been ordered to pay at least $594,298 in restitution which represents the amount she stole plus interest. Bratcher may also be ordered to pay an additional $30,000 in losses identified during the adjudication of her case.