On June 5, a California woman was sentenced to four years in state prison for embezzling over $250,000 from her employer. The sentence was handed down by a Sonoma County Superior Court judge.
According to court documents, the defendant worked as a payroll clerk for the Oakmont Management Group LLC from January 2014 until May 2016. During that time, she reportedly used her position to create fake employee payroll profiles and set up fraudulent direct deposit accounts using real employee names. The money was then funneled into pre-paid debit card accounts in her name. Her employer discovered her actions when the new payroll clerk noticed suspicious accounting activity. The company reported her to authorities on Jan. 13, 2017.
The defendant, age 60, was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to grand theft. This is not the first time she has been convicted of theft. In 2010, she was convicted of embezzlement in the County of San Francisco and sentenced to four years in prison. The same year, she was also convicted of embezzlement in the County of Santa Clara and was sentenced to five years.
Individuals being investigated for embezzlement might benefit from contacting a criminal defense attorney as quickly as possible. An attorney may represent a client’s interests even before charges are filed. If charges are eventually filed, legal counsel may be able to evaluate the evidence and recommend a defense strategy. In some cases, it might be best to fight the charges in court. In others, it may be advisable to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors. For example, prosecutors may agree to significantly reduce the charges if a defendant agrees to forgo a trial and plead guilty.
Source: Sonoma Valley Patch, Sonoma Senior Center Worker Sentenced For Embezzling $250K,” June 9, 2018