Oklahoma Woman Convicted In $1 Million Embezzlement Case

From the Edmond Sun on 10/31/2014:

A federal jury has convicted a Jones woman on 36 counts related to the embezzlement of more than $1 million from her former employer, a court official said.

Western District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats said members of the jury deliberated only about two hours Thursday before finding Julie Ann Smith, of Jones, guilty on 36 counts of bank fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, forged securities and tax fraud in connection with embezzling the money from her former employer.
                                               
Coats said [Smith] is also known as “Julie A. Judkins” and “Julia A. Judkins Smith.”
                                                                                                                                                                           
The trial lasted two days. At sentencing, Coats said, Smith faces a prison sentence of up to 30 years for each bank fraud count, up to 20 years for each mail fraud count, up to 10 years for each forged securities count, up to three years for each false tax return count and a mandatory two-year prison term under the aggravated identify theft count.
                                                                                                                                                                           
Smith also could receive an additional $250,000 fine on each count. A sentencing date will be set by the court in about 90 days.
                                                                                                                                                                           
According to evidence presented at trial, Smith worked from 2000 until around late June 2012 at Power Equipment & Engineering Inc. (“PE&E”), in Oklahoma City. Smith was the accounts-payable clerk and officer manager, where she prepared checks and paid invoices for the company.       
                                                                                                                                                                   
While employed at PE&E from June 2002 to June 2012, Smith forged about 195 PE&E checks by using the company owner’s signature stamp without PE&E’s permission or knowledge, evidence showed.
                                                                                                                                                                           
The forged checks totaled about $1,026,399. 
In addition, evidence showed that Smith disguised the forged checks through false entries on PE&E’s accounting system and wrote many of the forged checks to a fake company under her control, evidence showed.

Evidence showed Smith directed other forged checks to credit card companies, financial institutions and vendors for her personal benefit. Smith filed materially false federal income tax returns from 2008-2012.
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DC Accountant Pleads Guilty To $210K Embezzlement

Carolyn Mitchell, 47, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled $210,800.42 from the National Consumers League where she had been employed as an accountant and an administrative assistant. According to authorities, over a period of more than 5 years, from March 2005 to May 2010, Mitchell misappropriated funds from the private non-profit by depositing checks meant for vendors into her own accounts. She also deposited donor checks into her own accounts. Mitchell, who plead guilty to forging securities, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2011.

Read the story here, here and here.