A North Carolina mechanic has been sentenced to prison for embezzling a significant amount of money from his employer and filing a false tax return. Albert Strong, 59, a resident of Union, South Carolina, was sentenced to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. of the Western District of North Carolina.
According to the documents filed with the court, Strong worked as a machinist/mechanic for a company at its Charlotte, North Carolina location. From 2008 to 2015, Strong embezzled funds from the company using a fraudulent purchasing and billing scheme. Strong created a purported parts vendor, and then caused the company to order fictitious parts from the vendor. As part of the scheme, Strong created false invoices and submitted them to the company for payment.
In all, Strong embezzled approximately $1,488,000 from the victim company. Strong also failed to report the embezzled funds on his 2009 through 2015 tax returns, resulting in an approximate $450,000 tax loss.
Strong pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return for tax year 2013 on April 12, 2018. In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, Strong was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $1,941,377.32.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Tax Division and U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray for the Western District of North Carolina commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Phillips and Trial Attorney Mara Strier of the Tax Division, who prosecuted this case.
The investigation and prosecution of this case highlight the importance of protecting businesses and individuals from financial crimes. The sentence imposed on Strong serves as a reminder that those who commit such crimes will be held accountable.
The case is a result of an investigation conducted by the IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Phillips and Trial Attorney Mara Strier of the Tax Division.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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