Minnesota Accountant Gambles Away $2.7M, Gets 51 Months

MINNEAPOLIS – Destiny McKayla Combs, 37, is trading spreadsheets for stripes after being sentenced yesterday to 51 months in federal prison for a brazen embezzlement scheme. Combs, formerly the Accounting Manager for a Minnesota surrogacy agency and affiliated law firm, systematically pilfered $2.7 million from her employer over four years, then blew it all on gambling.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson didn’t mince words, stating, “Combs treated her workplace like her own personal slot machine.” The prosecution highlighted this case as part of a broader surge in fraud plaguing Minnesota, impacting both private businesses and public programs. Thompson vowed continued federal pressure to combat what he termed a “fraud plague.”

Court documents reveal Combs enjoyed nearly a decade of unchecked access to the companies’ finances. For approximately nine years, she was solely responsible for managing all financial aspects, including taxes and statements. So trusted was Combs, the agency’s owner had agreed to sell the business to her upon retirement in 2023. Instead, Combs abruptly resigned and fled to Florida as the sale date loomed, leaving a trail of financial wreckage in her wake.

The scheme, spanning from February 2019 to June 2023, was remarkably simple in its audacity. Combs funded her online gambling addiction with personal credit cards, then used company funds to cover the bills. She masked the transactions by falsely categorizing them as legitimate business expenses, exploiting the autonomy granted to her by her employers. Over 52 months, she made 292 payments totaling $2,723,025 to her American Express card using company accounts.

Combs’s disregard for the law didn’t end with the embezzlement. While awaiting trial and under the supervision of pretrial services, she repeatedly lied to her probation officer and brazenly violated the terms of her release. She embarked on unauthorized trips to New York City, Tucson, Arizona, Miami, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Seattle, Washington – seemingly determined to continue her high-rolling lifestyle even while facing federal charges. Judge John M. Gerrard specifically cited her repeated trips to Las Vegas as a factor in the sentencing.

The investigation, a joint effort by the United States Secret Service and the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau, culminated in yesterday’s sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case. Combs will also serve three years of supervised release following her 51-month prison term, a small price to pay for a $2.7 million gamble that went spectacularly wrong.

RELATED: Minnesota Accountant Gambles Away $2.7M, Gets 51 Months