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Hotel Manager Charged with $324,000 Wire Fraud Scheme
ST. LOUIS – A Richmond Heights, Missouri hotel’s assistant general manager has been charged with a brazen $324,000 wire fraud scheme.
Angelique Patterson, 39, pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday. The charges stem from a scheme in which Patterson manipulated the hotel’s reservation system and altered the records of customers who had paid using cash or credit cards.
According to court documents, Patterson retroactively changed those reservations to falsely show that the customers had used the hotel’s loyalty rewards system ‘points’ for their stay. She then added her own credit or debit card information into the system and had the customers’ payments ‘refunded’ to her.
Patterson admitted fraudulently refunding a total of $153,518 to herself from March through October of 2023. The scheme involved using the hotel’s reservation system to steal money from unsuspecting customers, with Patterson attempting to make it appear as though they had used loyalty points for their stay.
On October 4, 2023, despite not being on duty, Patterson tried to use the hotel’s desk computer and a coworker’s credentials to fraudulently refund herself an additional $61,998. The FBI investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran prosecuting the case.
The case is a stark reminder of the importance of hotel staff integrity and the need for hotels to implement robust security measures to prevent such schemes from occurring. Patterson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5 and faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. She will also be ordered to repay the money she stole from the hotel and its customers.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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