Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (2024)

All fraud case suspects posted on our website are media stories and are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Brown $1.4M

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (1)

Brown allegedly used his access to the accounts payable system to divert hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of “vendor payments” to two personal bank accounts.

Kimberly Price $1M

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (2)

Kimberly Price, 57, was arrested and charged with embezzling $1M dollars from one of her clients where she was an accountant with Hess, Stewart and Campbell

Kenneth Voboril $6M

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KennethVoboril, 46, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $6 million from Commodity Specialists Company over the course of 10 years.

Meredith Kanter $270K

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Meredith Kanter, owner of Freelance Bean Counter LLC, charged with allegedly embezzling over $270,000 from two non-profit clients

Rita Crundwell $53.7M

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Rita Crundwell, 60, former comptroller of the city of Dixon, Illinois pleaded guilty on November 14, 2012, to wire fraud, and agreed she also engaged in money laundering, in connection with stealing more than $53 million from the city since 1990 and using the proceeds to finance her quarter horse farming business and life of luxury. It is believed to be the largest theft of public funds in state history. Crundwell was sentenced Feb 14, 2013 to 19 years and seven months in federal prison for stealing $53.7 million from the city over two decades. View updated auction items 2016.

Vicki Lynn Weidenhof $187k

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Vicki Lynn Weidenhof, 46, formerly of Sitka, Alaska and currently of Chatsworth, Georgia, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled $187,348 from Alps Federal Credit Union, where she had served as chief operations officer. Authorities alleged that Weidenhof transferred funds from the credit union’s general ledger account into her own account and into the accounts of others

Linda Speaks Tribby $14.1M

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Linda Speaks Tribby, 42, of Lovettsville, Virginia, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for embezzling $14.1 million from clients of Wachovia Bank, where she had been employed a business relationship manager. According to authorities, Tribby fraudulentlyoffered bank clients a tax-free interest wealth management account product that did not exist. Instead, Tribby used the $14,169,878 fraudulently obtained funds for her personal use. Tribby’s scheme spanned a period of more than seven years, from December 2003 through January 2011. She plead guilty to one count of bank fraud on March 4, 2011.

Rev. Samual Ciccolini $1.2M

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aka Father Sam, 68, of Akron, Ohio, admitted to embezzling about $1.2 million from Interval Brotherhood Home Foundation, a non-profit he founded and ran since 1970. According to authorities, over a period of at least four years, from 2002 through 2006, Ciccolini engaged in an “elaborate subterfuge” by submitting fraudulent invoices purportedly for construction work and equipment that had been donated and receiving reimbursement. He then allegedly falsified records to cover up the fraud. Ciccolini has already reportedly paid back the misappropriated funds. He is due to be sentenced this Friday on felony charges of bank fraud and tax fraud.

Alice Belmonte $4M

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Alice Belmonte a 47 year old Real Estate Attorney was indicted on 49 counts of fraud ranging from grand larceny to identity theft. Prosecutors described the fraud scheme an elaborate operation that involved forging documents and lying to trusting investors, which included entrepreneurs, personal friends and business associates.

Sean Mueller $71M

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (10)

Sean Mueller, 42, scammed about 65 people which included the former Quarterback for the Denver Broncos John Elway, into an elaborate investment scam of about $71 Million Dollars. Mueller plead guilty on November 1st to criminal charges of fraud, theft and racketeering.

Sean Merriman $21M

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Shawn Merriman was head of an investment firm and lay bishop in the Mormon church who persuaded friends, family, and church members to invest with him. It turned out to be a big scam, taking in more than $21 million. Among victims: his own mother.

The Ponzi scheme, which continued for 15 years, landed Merriman behind bars, and his investors out of money.

Ephran Taylor $11M

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Ephran Taylor, was a preachers son and a financial advisor that claimed to have made his first million in his 20’s. He made promises to fellow Christians that he could do the same for them.

“We’re going to show you how to get wealth and use it for the building of his kingdom,” Taylor shouted to the congregation one morning in 2009. It was all part of what he called his “Building Wealth Tour,” which crisscrossed the country touting self-improvement, followed-up with private meetings with interested investors.

Some congregants from some of the most prominent mega-churches in the country, including New Birth Baptist Church and Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas, turned over their life savings to Taylor hoping to do good while doing well.

Karen C. Wright $500k

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Karen C. Wright, 44, of King William, Virginia, has been charged with embezzling more than $500,000 from Bituminous Insurance, where she had been employed. According to authorities Wright, over a period of 10 years, misappropriated the funds from the insurance company. She has been charged with 11 counts of embezzlement. Reports suggest that Wright is the wife of King William Deputy Sheriff, Keith Wright.

Nathan Lee Kapp $1.3M

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Nathan Lee Kapp, 36, of Syracuse, Utah, was charged with one felony charge of mail fraud and four counts of money laundering for allegedly embezzling cash paid by truck driving students of C.R. England Trucking Co. where he had been employed as company controller. Beginning in January 2007, Kapp is alleged to have made numerous cash deposits of monies ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, intended for the company into his own person bank account at America First Credit Union. He reportedly used the funds to support his lifestyle, including purchasing a home, making home improvements and purchasing luxury vehicles. Kapp is being held in custody because “the defendant is a danger to the community,” according to the court.

Arthur H. Fisher $2M

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Arthur H. Fisher, 44, and his wife, Jennifer Fisher, 38, both of Ossining, New York, were arrested and charged in Dutchess County today with embezzling nearly $2 million from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. According to authorities, Arthur Fisher, who had been employed by the college as project manager from 2005 until 2010, orchestrated a scheme involving a phony construction company he and his wife set up with a fraudulent bank account, into which college funds were deposited. They have both been charged with first-degree grand larceny, presumably because prosecutors believe Jennifer Fisher participated and/or benefited from the scheme to which she had knowledge

Ariel Rivera $136k

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Ariel Rivera, 28, of Lincoln, Nebraska has been sentenced to five years probation for embezzling $136,000 from Christensen Audiology & Hearing Aid Center where she had been employed as office manager and chief financial officer. Rivera is reportedly the daughter of Roy Christensen, the owner of the business. Rivera, who pleaded guilty to the charge of theft by deception, apparently wrote and forged unauthorized checks to herself from company accounts. Rivera was arrested last May. Her scheme spanned a two year period, from March 2008 to March 2010. Rivera has also been sued in civil court by the company to recover the monies she stole, which came to a grand total of totaled $136,797.67, which she has been ordered to repay.

Robert Alex Harlan $470k

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Robert Alex Harlan, 49, has been charged with with five counts of first-degree theft in connection with the embezzlement of more than $470,000 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he had been employed as director of student accounts for the past 20 years. According to authorities, Harlan’s allegedly misappropriations date back to 2004 and continued until this past March. According to a statement from the university, “University accounting records had been manipulated to allow institutional funds to be converted to an employee’s personal use.”

Holly Daunielle Martin-Campbell $1.6M

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Holly Daunielle Martin-Campbell, 37, of Inglewood, California, was arrested yesterday on charges she embezzled nearly $1.6 million from Blue Daisy Cement Products where she had been employed as a bookkeeper and administrator. According to authorities, Martin-Campbell began depositing customer checks into her own accounts in or about 2004 and continued over more than four years. Authorities believe Martin-Campbell used the stolen funds to finance a lavish lifestyle that included a newly built home, luxury automobiles, a Ducati motorcycle, sporting events and high end restaurants.

Errin Leigh Ellzey $232k

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Errin Leigh Ellzey, 37, of Bailey, Colorado, was sentenced to only 30 days in jail for embezzling $232,480 from Moore Lumber where she had been employed as a bookkeeper. Ellzey was also ordered to pay full restitution and subject to 6 years probation. Ellzey was arrested last November on the suspicion that she had only taken about $15,000. She plead guilty in May to one count of felony theft. Authorities alleged that Ellzey made unauthorized payments to personal accounts with Moore Lumber checks over a nearly 2 year period, from November 2007 to August 2009. Her apparent light sentence was due, in part, to the fact that she reportedly has already paid back $86,464.

Shannon K. DeMerse $2.4M

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Shannon K. DeMerse, 41, of Midlothian, Texas, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled about $2.4 million from Ivy Jane, a local apparel business part-owned by Dallas City Council member, Dave Neumann. According to prosecutors, DeMerse embezzled the funds over a 7 year period, from 2002 to 2009. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay full restitution.

Edward Cantrell $3M

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (21)

Edward Cantrell, 36, of Florence, Kentucky, has been indicted on charges he embezzled some $3 million from Fin Pan Inc., a Hamilton, Ohio-based maker of construction products where he had been employed as financial controller. According to prosecutors, Cantrell executed more than 125 fraudulent transactions whereby he had company officials sign checks payable to company vendors but had them sent to a post office box and deposited them into his own accounts. He then transferred monies between accounts in an effort to cover up the thefts which spanned a five year period beginning in 2004. The 55 count indictment includes one count of aggravated theft; 11 counts of telecommunications fraud; 10 counts of forgery; 11 counts of money laundering; 12 counts of unauthorized use of computer, cable or telecommunication property; and 10 counts of securing writings by deception.

Christine Alice Sylvester $1M

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Christine Alice Sylvester, 40, of the Conifer Colorado stole $951,000 from Windish RV Center in Lakewood Colorado over a three year period.

Mary Anne Mattoon $400k

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (23)

Mary Anne Mattoon, believed to be in her late 40s, of Reno, Nevada, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzling at least $400,000 from NevDex Properties, where she had been employed as the office manager. According to authorities, over a six year period between 2002 and 2008, Mattoon altered the company payroll to pay her additional salary – as much as $90,000 more in one year. Mattoon reportedly spent the stolen money on personal luxury items, shopping sprees, a horse trailer and a motorcycle business she started.

Vickie L. Glatfelter $347k

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Vickie L. Glatfelter, 49, of Dover Township, Pennsylvania, has been charged with embezzling $347,477 from York County, Pennsylvania where she had served as assistant chief clerk. According to authorities, over a period of more than 7 years, from June 2003 to September 2010, Glatfelter committed 808 separate thefts of refunds for postage meter overcharges that she engineered, depositing the funds into her own accounts. Glatfelter had been employed by the county for some 27 years.

Tonya Lynn Seiger $1.4M

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Tonya Lynn Seiger, 45, of Enid, Oklahoma, has been charged with embezzling some $1.4 million from Gillilland Oil and Gas Company where she had been employed as a bookkeeper. According to authorities, Seiger would issue company checks to herself or her husband’s company, R and T Pump and Supply. Seiger’s scheme spanned a 2 year period. She is reported to have spent the money on a gambling habit. According to reports, Seiger also stole from R and T Pump as well as from her son.

Jason Paul Mitchell & Rajiv M. Toprani $1M

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Jason Paul Mitchell, 34, of Jackson, Missouri and Rajiv M. Toprani, 30, of Clarksville, Tennessee, have been accused of conspiring to bilk nearly $1 million from The DeWitt Company of Sikeston, Missouri. According to authorities, Mitchell (left), who was employed as purchasing manager at DeWitt, colluded with Toprani (right), owner of KT America, a DeWitt supplier, who agreed to make kickback payments in exchange for exclusivity. The scheme reportedly spanned about 7 years from 2003 until 2010 where Mitchell and another employee netted some $950,000.

Eric Wayne Helgemo & Maria Lorena Vega Yarrish $1.5M

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (28)

Eric Wayne Helgemo, 50, of Vista, California and Maria Lorena Vega Yarrish, 40, of Buena Park, California, CFO and Controller, respectively of Pacific Polymers Inc., were sentenced yesterday for their role in an embezzlement conspiracy that bilked the company out of more than $1.5 million. Helgemo (left) was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Yarrish (right) was sentenced to 8 years in prison. They were each also ordered to pay a fine of $3 million. According to authorities, the pair issued more than 800 fraudulent paychecks to themselves over a period of about 5 years, from 2003 until 2008. Specifically, Helgemo received 593 fraudulent payments for more than $1.1 million and Yarrish received 229 fraudulent payments for more than $340,000. The embezzlement was discovered after the company was sold and Helgemo and Yarrish were let go and an audit of the company’s books was conducted.

Brian M. Steele $950k

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Brian M. Steele, 37, of Endicott, New York, pleaded guilty embezzling some $950,000 from Dataflow, Inc. and its subsidiaries, where he had been employed as company controller. According to prosecutors, Steele misappropriated the funds between January 2005 and June 2010. He pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny and second-degree forgery and faces up to 12 years in state prison upon sentencing, which is scheduled for May 2011.

Elizabeth “Jeannette” Josey $1M

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Elizabeth “Jeannette” Josey, 50, of Gransboro, North Carolina, has been accused by authorities of embezzling more than $1 million from a group of five companies based in Carteret County, for whom she had served as office manager. Authorities, who have issued a warrant for Josey’s arrest, allege that she bilked five companies owned by a James Gillikin of Baufort, including Gillikin Marine Railways Inc., Morgan Creek Seafood, Inc., James T. Gillikin Inc., Trawler Captain Jimmy Inc. and Captain James II, Inc., all of Radio Island, NC. Josey, who had been employed by Gillikin for 17 years, allegedly took company receipts and “converted them to her own use” to establish a lavish lifestyle.

Tammy R. Weart $1.2M

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Tammy R. Weart, 52, of Des Plaines, Illinois, has been charged with embezzling some $1.2 million from Specialty Moving Systems where she had been employed as company controller. According to prosecutors, Weart made at least 96 unauthorized electronic funds transfers of monies from company accounts into her own accounts over a period of six years from November 3, 2003 through December 31, 2009. The total amount alleged to have been stolen by Weart is $1,169,632.16. Weart has been charged with theft, financial institution fraud and continuing a financial crimes enterprise. The embezzlement scheme was reportedly discovered by a co-worker who filled in for Weart when she was on a leave of absence.

Heather McNally $151k

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Heather McNally, 38, of Norwood, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to charges she embezzled $151,201 from Caleco Inc., a real estate agency where she was in charge of distributing commission checks. Meanwhile, McNally’s ex-boyfriend, Theodore C. Delikat, 31, of Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to similar charges for his role in the scheme. According to authorities, McNally wrote checks from company coffers which Delikat cashed and the two split the proceeds. McNally was sentenced to to 11½ to 23 months in prison and Delikat was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in prison. The scheme reportedly spanned a period of more than two years, from 2007 until early 2010. Some of the checks McNally wrote out to her friend, Gina Renee Birzes, 36, of Media, Pennsylvania. Birzes (pictured here) was also charged in the case. She was arrested in Florida and appears to have some other criminal issues in that state.

Mark Cherubini $1.7M

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Mark Cherubini, 44, of rural Knox County, Ohio, has been charged with embezzling nearly $1.7 million from three separate businesses owned by his high school friends for which he had served as financial manager, including Law General Contracting, RMR Holdings and Redskin Transport. According to authorities, over a period of nearly 8 years, from January 2003 until September 2010, Cherubini falsified financial ledgers and wrote fraudulent checks to a fourth company he had worked for but had been sold to foreign owners.

Embezzlement fraud cases in the news (2024)

FAQs

Who is the most common victim of embezzlement? ›

Men are not only more likely to commit financial fraud, amounting to 72% of all embezzlement cases worldwide, but they are also more likely to cause greater losses than women. In 2020, men contributed to $150,000 median losses, while women accounted for $85,000.

What is the most common form of embezzlement? ›

The most common form of embezzlement is simple cash skimming. Employees who handle cash directly, such as cashiers, servers, bartenders, or delivery drivers can embezzle funds by destroying or falsifying transaction records and pocketing the cash.

What are the consequences of fraud to the country? ›

Fraud can undermine national defence and security. It can also damage international standing and affect the ability of nations to get international support. The proceeds of fraud can also fund organised crime groups and terrorism, potentially leading to further crime and terrorist attacks.

What types of frauds are possible in this business environment? ›

10 Types of Fraudulent Schemes
  • Payroll Fraud. Payroll fraud can manifest in a variety of ways. ...
  • Asset Misappropriation/Skimming. ...
  • Invoice Fraud Schemes. ...
  • Financial Statement Fraud. ...
  • Tax Fraud. ...
  • Data, Intellectual Property and Identity Theft. ...
  • Insurance and Banking Fraud. ...
  • Money Fraud.

Who commits most white-collar crimes? ›

White males between the ages of 41-50 are the most common demographic that commits a white-collar crime. Males commit at least 75% of white-collar crimes, and crimes like bribery are overwhelmingly committed by white individuals (84.9%).

Who commits embezzlement? ›

Instead, embezzlement is, more generically, an act of deceitfully secreting assets by one or more persons that have been entrusted with such assets. The persons entrusted with such assets may or may not have an ownership stake in such assets.

Does the FBI investigate embezzlement? ›

Under the umbrella of the Financial Crime Unit, the FBI is responsible for conducting fraud and embezzlement investigations in its White Collar Crime Program, including Corporate and Securities Fraud, Mortgage and Insurance Fraud, Mass Marketing Fraud and Money Laundering.

What are some examples of embezzlement? ›

Embezzlement Examples
  • Fake vendor payments: A bookkeeper or assistant could create fake invoices for goods or services never provided. ...
  • Taking kickbacks: For employees or agents in a position to select vendors, taking kickbacks from other businesses and not reporting the money or benefits could be theft.
May 18, 2021

What can be done to solve fraud corruption? ›

  1. Make an impact. that matters. ...
  2. Optimise the use of. technology in detecting fraud. ...
  3. Assessing employee awareness. ...
  4. Implement a tiered approach. ...
  5. Effective fraud risk assessments. ...
  6. Eliminating conflicts of interests. ...
  7. Managing relationships with external stakeholders. ...
  8. KNOW your business partners.

Who affects fraud? ›

Fraud happens and can affect any public body. However, when it is handled poorly, fraud against government programs can result in an erosion of trust in government and industries, and lead to a loss of international and economic reputation. This is particularly true when fraud is facilitated by corruption.

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