RICHMOND, VA – A Cumberland woman is facing up to two decades behind bars after admitting she systematically robbed a Richmond construction company out of $1.5 million over eight years. Amy Lynn Galloway, 45, pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a brazen bookkeeping fraud scheme that left the residential development and construction company reeling.
According to court documents, Galloway, the company’s bookkeeper, wasn’t just cooking the books – she was actively looting them. From 2009 to 2016, she siphoned off approximately $1.54 million for personal use, employing a two-pronged approach to avoid detection. The scheme involved writing unauthorized checks on multiple business accounts, then funneling the funds into her own personal and joint accounts shared with her children.
Galloway didn’t stop at checks. She also racked up $440,000 in fraudulent charges on company credit cards, treating the business like her personal piggy bank. To cover her tracks, she simply omitted the fraudulent checks from the accounting records she prepared for tax purposes, a calculated move to keep the theft under wraps. In total, she deposited 578 fraudulent checks, totaling approximately $1.1 million, into her personal accounts.
Federal investigators pieced together the elaborate scheme, revealing a pattern of calculated deceit. The FBI’s Richmond Field Office led the investigation, uncovering a trail of misappropriated funds and falsified records. The total loss to the company is estimated at $1.54 million, a significant blow to the local business.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, jointly announced Galloway’s guilty plea. U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire is prosecuting the case, promising a full accounting of the damage caused by Galloway’s actions.
Galloway is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. While the statutory maximum is set by Congress, the final sentence will be determined by the court, considering sentencing guidelines and other relevant factors. Court documents related to the case can be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia, the District Court website, or through PACER (Case No. 3:16-CR-157).
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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