Angelia Zwick Gets 21 Months for $329K Embezzlement

Angelia Zwick, 47, of Cincinnati, is headed to federal prison for 21 months after stealing more than $328,000 from her employer over a four-year scheme that gutted company funds and left taxpayers holding the bag. Known also as Angelia Strunk, Zwick exploited her position at Sheakley Group, Inc. to siphon off refunds and payments meant for the business, rerouting them to a shell company she controlled.

Convicted on one count of wire fraud and one count of willfully filing a false income tax return, Zwick was ordered by U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott to repay $328,747 to Sheakley Group, Inc. and its insurers. On top of that, she must cough up $121,810 to the IRS — money she dodged by lying on her tax returns for 2010, 2011, and 2012.

From July 2009 through May 2013, Zwick funneled stolen cash from her employer’s accounts to Amerihealth and Life Solutions, LLC, a company registered in her name. The funds, consisting of insurance refunds and other business payments, were never authorized for personal use. Instead, Zwick treated the company like her own personal ATM, wiring out cash with no oversight.

For the 2010 tax year, she didn’t report any of the embezzled cash as income. For 2011 and 2012, she inflated expenses for her own company, Amerihealth, trying to bury the trail. The IRS caught on — and what they found was a deliberate, years-long effort to cheat the system at every level.

“We are early in this year’s tax filing season and this case should serve as a reminder that no matter what the source of income, all income is taxable, even stolen money,” said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Cincinnati. “Zwick didn’t just rob her employer — she robbed the American tax system.”

The case was investigated by the IRS and U.S. Secret Service, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Mangan. U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman said the sentence sends a clear message: “Stealing from your employer and lying to the IRS won’t go unnoticed. We’re watching.”