From WDEF News 12 on 10/8/2014:
A former Alcoa City School District employee was sentenced to 40 months in prison for embezzlement and ordered to pay more than $428,000 in restitution to the district and two nonprofits.
According to the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Tennessee and an audit by the state comptroller's office, Kathy Winters managed the school district's federal funds. Using fraudulent invoices, she diverted money into accounts for two nonprofits where she served as treasurer. She used the money to pay her mortgage; buy food, jewelry, clothing and iTunes songs; and invest in a local gym.
She also used the school district's credit cards for personal purchases and received reimbursement for 70 trips she did not take.
The Harriman resident pleaded guilty to embezzlement in June and was sentenced Tuesday.
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014
Couple Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $1 Million From Kentucky Monastery
From WDRB on 10/31/2014:
Couple accepts plea deal in connection with embezzlement from Abbey of Gethsemani
Police say the case of a million dollars stolen from a monastery might be one of the largest thefts ever in Nelson County, Kentucky. In Nelson Circuit Court on Friday, Carrie and John Hutchins took a plea deal and they will now have to pay big.
John Hutchins pleaded guilty to hundreds of charges for embezzling a million dollars from the Abbey of Gethsemani, dating back to 2008.
"It was all wire transfers. Money was transferred in the same bank from the account in the abbey to an account he had access to. From there it was spent by debit card, check cash," said Nelson County Detective Jason Allison.
He says the money was spent lavishly. "There was a lot of trips to the Bahamas, flew up to Chicago for a meal. A lot of that money I would say was just blown."
Hutchins will go to prison for 20 years, taking the maximum penalty. Prosecutors say his wife, Carrie was not as responsible as her husband, who was the accountant for the monastery. She will be on probation for two years. The couple is losing pretty much everything valuable that they own.
"The gun safe, six watches, exercise equipment, all appliances in the marital residence, two big screen televisions, the zero turn lawnmower," the judge kept listing numerous items.
They will also lose their house and two cars. Detective Allison says the cars were bought with the embezzled money.
The rest of the million dollars stolen--is supposed to be paid back through $600,000 of restitution.
When asked if the monastery will likely ever see that money, the prosecutor smirked. "Um, that's a good question," he replied.
Police already seized what was left in their bank account: $42,000.
"I feel like we come to a good resolution, obviously would've like to have more money that we could've got back from the abbey but we got what we could," said Allison.
The prosecutor says it is not clear how the embezzlement went on for so long without abbey officials noticing. He says the monastery was very trusting of Hutchins, and as a non-profit organization, is not audited like other places.
The couple will be formally sentenced in December.
Couple accepts plea deal in connection with embezzlement from Abbey of Gethsemani
Police say the case of a million dollars stolen from a monastery might be one of the largest thefts ever in Nelson County, Kentucky. In Nelson Circuit Court on Friday, Carrie and John Hutchins took a plea deal and they will now have to pay big.
John Hutchins pleaded guilty to hundreds of charges for embezzling a million dollars from the Abbey of Gethsemani, dating back to 2008.
"It was all wire transfers. Money was transferred in the same bank from the account in the abbey to an account he had access to. From there it was spent by debit card, check cash," said Nelson County Detective Jason Allison.
He says the money was spent lavishly. "There was a lot of trips to the Bahamas, flew up to Chicago for a meal. A lot of that money I would say was just blown."
Hutchins will go to prison for 20 years, taking the maximum penalty. Prosecutors say his wife, Carrie was not as responsible as her husband, who was the accountant for the monastery. She will be on probation for two years. The couple is losing pretty much everything valuable that they own.
"The gun safe, six watches, exercise equipment, all appliances in the marital residence, two big screen televisions, the zero turn lawnmower," the judge kept listing numerous items.
They will also lose their house and two cars. Detective Allison says the cars were bought with the embezzled money.
The rest of the million dollars stolen--is supposed to be paid back through $600,000 of restitution.
When asked if the monastery will likely ever see that money, the prosecutor smirked. "Um, that's a good question," he replied.
Police already seized what was left in their bank account: $42,000.
"I feel like we come to a good resolution, obviously would've like to have more money that we could've got back from the abbey but we got what we could," said Allison.
The prosecutor says it is not clear how the embezzlement went on for so long without abbey officials noticing. He says the monastery was very trusting of Hutchins, and as a non-profit organization, is not audited like other places.
The couple will be formally sentenced in December.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Former Bookkeeper Charged With Embezzling $543K From Missouri Company
From the Kansas City Business Journal on 2/25/14:
Susan Elise Prophet, who was a bookkeeper for Dorfman Plumbing Supply Co., is accused of embezzling more than $543,000 between December 2012 and August 2013.
According to the indictment, Prophet wrote 105 unauthorized checks that she used to purchase vehicles, furniture, electronics and other items. She is charged with 16 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
...
Read the whole story here.
Susan Elise Prophet, who was a bookkeeper for Dorfman Plumbing Supply Co., is accused of embezzling more than $543,000 between December 2012 and August 2013.
According to the indictment, Prophet wrote 105 unauthorized checks that she used to purchase vehicles, furniture, electronics and other items. She is charged with 16 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
...
Read the whole story here.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Oregon Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $225K From Auto Dealership To Finance Lavish Lifestyle
From The Oregonian on 2/18/14:
When the jury returned with a guilty verdict, Rick Jones and Kristina Kaino-Smith wept.
Jones shed tears of relief. His three-year quest for justice had ended. Kaino-Smith, a once-trusted friend and employee who stole $225,000, would be going to prison.
Kaino-Smith worked for Rick Jones Motor Co. as a bookkeeper and office manager. She also handled his personal finances.
For 18 months, Kaino-Smith forged Jones' name on checks she wrote to herself. Jones' money paid for Hawaiian vacations, spa visits, expensive make-up, gifts, and shopping trips to Nordstrom, Target, Victoria's Secret among other retailers.
"She was a big shopper," said prosecutor Sarah Dumont.
A jury found Kaino-Smith, 42, guilty on several counts of forgery, first-degree theft and first-degree aggravated theft. Clackamas County Circuit Judge Douglas Van Dyk sentenced her Tuesday to 3½ years in prison.
...
Read the whole story here.
When the jury returned with a guilty verdict, Rick Jones and Kristina Kaino-Smith wept.
Jones shed tears of relief. His three-year quest for justice had ended. Kaino-Smith, a once-trusted friend and employee who stole $225,000, would be going to prison.
Kaino-Smith worked for Rick Jones Motor Co. as a bookkeeper and office manager. She also handled his personal finances.
For 18 months, Kaino-Smith forged Jones' name on checks she wrote to herself. Jones' money paid for Hawaiian vacations, spa visits, expensive make-up, gifts, and shopping trips to Nordstrom, Target, Victoria's Secret among other retailers.
"She was a big shopper," said prosecutor Sarah Dumont.
A jury found Kaino-Smith, 42, guilty on several counts of forgery, first-degree theft and first-degree aggravated theft. Clackamas County Circuit Judge Douglas Van Dyk sentenced her Tuesday to 3½ years in prison.
...
Read the whole story here.
Minnesota Man Involved In Incredible $6.3 Million Embezzlment Saga
From the Pioneer Press on 2/18/14:
The saga has betrayal, blackmail and even a longtime mistress. And then there's the millions of dollars allegedly embezzled from one of St. Paul's best-known businessmen. In a court document filed Friday, federal prosecutors laid out the case they plan to present to a jury next week when John Joseph Waters Jr. goes on trial, accused of stealing from his longtime boss and friend, the late Gerard Leon Cafesjian, the retired West Publishing executive whose name is on St. Paul's famous carousel. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Otteson wrote in a pretrial brief that Waters engineered a scheme to embezzle millions from Cafesjian and that the scam lasted for years. "Waters used the stolen money to satisfy the expensive personal spending habits of himself, his family, and a mistress whom he was secretly supporting for years," Otteson wrote. The alleged embezzlement totaled $4 million, the government claims, and he gave more than $700,000 of it "to his mistress, Cheri Kuhn (now Cheri Waters), whom he met at the Deja Vu nightclub in the late 1990s and with whom he was having a long-term affair," Otteson wrote. Waters, 57, of Eden Prairie has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In August, he was named in a 26-count federal indictment accusing him of mail and wire fraud, income tax evasion and filing a false income tax return. His trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
...
Read the whole story here.
The saga has betrayal, blackmail and even a longtime mistress. And then there's the millions of dollars allegedly embezzled from one of St. Paul's best-known businessmen. In a court document filed Friday, federal prosecutors laid out the case they plan to present to a jury next week when John Joseph Waters Jr. goes on trial, accused of stealing from his longtime boss and friend, the late Gerard Leon Cafesjian, the retired West Publishing executive whose name is on St. Paul's famous carousel. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Otteson wrote in a pretrial brief that Waters engineered a scheme to embezzle millions from Cafesjian and that the scam lasted for years. "Waters used the stolen money to satisfy the expensive personal spending habits of himself, his family, and a mistress whom he was secretly supporting for years," Otteson wrote. The alleged embezzlement totaled $4 million, the government claims, and he gave more than $700,000 of it "to his mistress, Cheri Kuhn (now Cheri Waters), whom he met at the Deja Vu nightclub in the late 1990s and with whom he was having a long-term affair," Otteson wrote. Waters, 57, of Eden Prairie has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In August, he was named in a 26-count federal indictment accusing him of mail and wire fraud, income tax evasion and filing a false income tax return. His trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
...
Read the whole story here.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Former Head Of New Jersey Non-Profit Indicted In $380K Embezzlement Conspiracy Scheme - Twin Brothers Also Charged
From NJ.com on 2/6/14:
The former executive director of an East Orange-based non-profit developer of low-income housing was arrested today on charges she had embezzled more than $380,000 from the corporation, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement this evening.
Lancie Marchan, 64, who headed the East Orange Revitalization and Development Corporation, used the money for trips, hotel stays, visits to casinos and gifts, among other things, the statement said.
An indictment unsealed today alleges that Marchan, who was being paid an annual salary of $93,163.50, embezzled the money between 2005 and 2010.
At the time, EORDC was partnering with a private corporation to build a low-income development, called the Princeton Estates Phase II Project, with partial funding from HUD.
The indictment also alleges that Marchan’s twin 66-year-old brothers, Arthur Werts, of Chesterfield, Va., and Artemus Werts, of Plainfield – both of whom have experience in the financial and non-profit industries – helped their sister embezzle and launder the funds.
...Read the whole story here.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Former Record Company Exec In NYC Charged With Embezzling Over $1 Million To Support Lavish Lifestyle
From Singersroom.com on 2/6/14:
After both an internal and criminal investigation, former Warner Music executive Danielle Smith appeared in a Manhattan court yesterday concerning charges of first-degree larceny for allegedly embezzling money from the company. Smith put in a plea of not guilty.
What exactly did she plead not guilty to? Well, she has been accused of charging over one million dollars to Warner's credit card for personal expenses and lavish items.
Smith was granted an expense card while working for Atlantic Records, a Division of Warner Music Group, in which her responsibilities included booking travel and hotel arrangements for potential talent. Although she wasn't considered talent, she reportedly racked up fees for hotel rooms, airfare, and products according to prosecutors. All this spending Smith was allegedly doing took place between 2007-2011, the same year Smith resigned.
....
Read the story here.
After both an internal and criminal investigation, former Warner Music executive Danielle Smith appeared in a Manhattan court yesterday concerning charges of first-degree larceny for allegedly embezzling money from the company. Smith put in a plea of not guilty.
What exactly did she plead not guilty to? Well, she has been accused of charging over one million dollars to Warner's credit card for personal expenses and lavish items.
Smith was granted an expense card while working for Atlantic Records, a Division of Warner Music Group, in which her responsibilities included booking travel and hotel arrangements for potential talent. Although she wasn't considered talent, she reportedly racked up fees for hotel rooms, airfare, and products according to prosecutors. All this spending Smith was allegedly doing took place between 2007-2011, the same year Smith resigned.
....
Read the story here.
Kentucky Woman Accused Of Embezzling $313K In Phony Tax Return Scheme To Fuel Lavish Lifestyle; Remains At Large
From the Lexington Herald-Leader on 2/5/14:
Police are seeking a Lexington woman accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from an apartment complex and faking tax returns and bank loans to support a lavish lifestyle on a $40,000 income.
Yarelis Rios is wanted on outstanding arrest warrants, Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said Wednesday. She said she couldn't comment further or detail the charges involved. But a federal affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Lexington states that "there is an active state arrest warrant for Rios regarding her embezzlement ... and she remains a fugitive."
Rios vanished in December, shortly after police and federal agents began an investigation, the affidavit says.
Now, federal prosecutors contend that Rios' home on Rockminster Road "represents proceeds of forged checks, identity theft, wire fraud and money laundering," according to a complaint filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wade Napier. Prosecutors are seeking to have the property forfeited to the government.
An affidavit filed by U.S. Secret Service Agent Nevada Gump in support of the complaint describes how Rios allegedly bought a $425,000 home, expensive vehicles, big-screen TVs, home appliances and large quantities of brand-name clothing, jewelry, watches and accessories on a reported annual income of $40,000.
The affidavit says Rios embezzled thousands of dollars from Thoroughbred Cross apartments on Village Drive, which she managed starting about March 2012. It also alleges that Rios completed fake income tax returns using people's names — apparently without their knowledge — and arranged for $313,000 in tax refunds to go into bank accounts controlled by her and her boyfriend, Artemio Ultrera Pimentel.
In addition, Rios used faked W-2 forms, altered pay stubs and faked bank statements to help secure an $80,000 home loan from Whitaker Bank, the affidavit says. ...
Read the whole story here.
Police are seeking a Lexington woman accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from an apartment complex and faking tax returns and bank loans to support a lavish lifestyle on a $40,000 income.
Yarelis Rios is wanted on outstanding arrest warrants, Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said Wednesday. She said she couldn't comment further or detail the charges involved. But a federal affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Lexington states that "there is an active state arrest warrant for Rios regarding her embezzlement ... and she remains a fugitive."
Rios vanished in December, shortly after police and federal agents began an investigation, the affidavit says.
Now, federal prosecutors contend that Rios' home on Rockminster Road "represents proceeds of forged checks, identity theft, wire fraud and money laundering," according to a complaint filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wade Napier. Prosecutors are seeking to have the property forfeited to the government.
An affidavit filed by U.S. Secret Service Agent Nevada Gump in support of the complaint describes how Rios allegedly bought a $425,000 home, expensive vehicles, big-screen TVs, home appliances and large quantities of brand-name clothing, jewelry, watches and accessories on a reported annual income of $40,000.
The affidavit says Rios embezzled thousands of dollars from Thoroughbred Cross apartments on Village Drive, which she managed starting about March 2012. It also alleges that Rios completed fake income tax returns using people's names — apparently without their knowledge — and arranged for $313,000 in tax refunds to go into bank accounts controlled by her and her boyfriend, Artemio Ultrera Pimentel.
In addition, Rios used faked W-2 forms, altered pay stubs and faked bank statements to help secure an $80,000 home loan from Whitaker Bank, the affidavit says. ...
Read the whole story here.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Former Church Secretary In Mississippi Indicted For Allegedly Embezzling $537K
From WTVA on 2/4/14:
The former secretary of the First Baptist Church in Pontotoc has pleaded not guilty to charges she took over $500,000 from the church.Read the story here.
The Pontotoc County grand jury handed down the four count indictment against Laura L. Franklin, 64, of Pontotoc.
Franklin is accused of taking money and other property for her own use from the church.
She is also accused of issuing a check for more $500 for her own use and using the church's credit cards to buy Ole Miss football tickets.
Court documents say the total amount in dispute is $537,277.74.
...
Thursday, January 23, 2014
New Hampshire Woman Sentenced To 33 Months For Embezzling >$600K
From the Concord Monitor on 1/23/14:
She spent the money on luxury cars, jewelry and vacations, according to a lawsuit filed by Satzow.
...
Read the whole story here.
Before sentencing Bonnie Johnson on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante looked to Mike Satzow, the owner of North Country Smokehouse, the business where Johnson embezzled more than $600,000.
Laplante asked Satzow what he thought of the 33-month prison sentence he was about to order.
“Your honor, I’m comfortable,” Satzow said.
With that, Johnson, 45, of Claremont, was sentenced for one count of wire fraud for stealing from her former employer. She will also be on three years of supervised release after she leaves prison.
When the crime was first discovered last year, Johnson confessed to Satzow when confronted and provided the Claremont police with two recorded statements, according to federal court documents.
She spent the money on luxury cars, jewelry and vacations, according to a lawsuit filed by Satzow.
...
Read the whole story here.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty In $3.6 Million Embezzlement
From the Washington Post on 1/17/14:
A woman who prosecutors say financed a lavish lifestyle by embezzling $3.6 million from her employer has pleaded guilty to a federal mail fraud charge.
Fifty-one-year-old Pamela J. Beard of Bowie, Md., entered the plea Friday in federal court in Washington. As part of a plea deal, she faces a maximum of 51 months and prison and must pay $3.6 million in criminal forfeiture and restitution at sentencing May 8.
According to government evidence, Beard was office manager at the Office of Orthopaedic Medicine & Surgery in Washington. Prosecutors say Beard generated corporate checks and deposited them to accounts she controlled.
...
Read the full article here.
A woman who prosecutors say financed a lavish lifestyle by embezzling $3.6 million from her employer has pleaded guilty to a federal mail fraud charge.
Fifty-one-year-old Pamela J. Beard of Bowie, Md., entered the plea Friday in federal court in Washington. As part of a plea deal, she faces a maximum of 51 months and prison and must pay $3.6 million in criminal forfeiture and restitution at sentencing May 8.
...
Read the full article here.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Former Rock Band's CFO Charged With Embezzling At Least $380K
Rickey Charles Goodrich, who just turned 54, of Novato, California, has been charged with embezzling at least $380,000 from the rock band Pearl Jam, for which he had been employed as CFO. According to prosecutors, over a period of nearly 3 years, from October 2007 through June 2010, Goodrich misappropriated the bands' funds to support a lavish lifestyle. He has been charged with 33 counts of theft for making "dozens of unauthorized payments, transfers and credit card purchases" from the band's management company, Curtis Management.
Read the story here and here.
Update (2/28/14): Goodrich now 55, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison. Read an update of the story here.
Read the story here and here.
Update (2/28/14): Goodrich now 55, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison. Read an update of the story here.
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