Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Michigan Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $300K

From the Lansing State Journal on 11/12/2014:

The former office manager for a Lansing business will pay nearly $300,000 in restitution as part of her sentence for embezzling money over many years.

Holly Ann Sisco was sentenced Wednesday in Ingham County Circuit Court to nine months in jail and ordered to pay restitution to four business entities -- all owned by the same man -- whose bank accounts she could access.

Sisco, 37, of Lansing, pleaded no contest in September to embezzlement charges.

For 10 years, Sisco worked for Michigan ICS, a plastering business, according to police reports filed in court as part of her plea. Beginning in 2006, the reports say, she began writing checks to herself, forging signatures and modifying checks so they'd be payable to her.

Patrick Hanes, an attorney representing Michigan ICS and the other businesses, said it's unclear how long the embezzlement lasted. He said bank records for all the years are not available.
The owner of the businesses, Michael Harwood, declined to comment.

The embezzlement was discovered in the summer of 2013 and Sisco resigned, documents show.
In a resignation agreement, Sisco said she used the money for house payments, credit card bills and "various other things."

At her plea hearing in September, Sisco said she pleaded no contest because of the potential of being sued.

More than $250,000 of the restitution is owed to Michigan ICS. Sisco was ordered to pay the remaining restitution amount to three other businesses -- H and H Investments, Latitude Subrogation Services and Intercon Industries.

In Judge William Collette's courtroom Wednesday, Sisco apologized, saying: "I know I broke the law. I'm willing to pay back everything by working hard."

After resigning from Michigan ICS, Sisco was able to find a job as a bookkeeper, her attorney said, although the job does not involve handling money. Hanes said it's unlikely she will be able to pay restitution.

"Three hundred thousand dollars for (her)," Hanes told Collette. "I don't think any of us will live that long."

No comments: