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Bookkeeper Sentenced for $315,000 Fraud
Indianapolis, IN – Erica Howard, 42, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 58 months in federal court for her role in a two-year scheme to siphon funds from her employer, a family-owned construction company.
Howard, who has an over 10-year history of multiple convictions for fraud, forgery, and theft, was sentenced by U. S. District Court Judge William T. Lawrence.
"Fraud on a small business often impacts much more than the bottom line," said U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler. "It can cost people good jobs, as it did here and breeds distrust, especially when the fraud is perpetrated by a trusted employee. People who exploit a position of trust for purely personal gain will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
According to the investigation, Howard began diverting thousands in company funds to herself just months after starting as bookkeeper. She exploited her access to company accounts online to pay over a dozen personal credit cards and buy electronics and other items on Amazon.
Howard concealed her fraud for over two years, never noting her personal uses of company funds in the company books. Each year, she delivered the false books to the company’s accountant, along with a set of phony bank statements that she had manipulated to make the numbers match.
The company’s owners were forced to lay off workers and liquidate retirement savings to keep the business afloat after Howard’s fraud was finally discovered when a company check bounced. By then, she had funneled over $315,000 in company money to herself and concealed the fact that she had not paid hundreds of thousands in company bills.
Howard pleaded guilty to the federal wire fraud charge and must serve three years of supervised release after her sentence, as well as make full restitution to the victim. The case was a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Franklin Police Department.
"Ms. Howard was entrusted with the finances of this family-owned business but chose to betray that trust for her own financial gain," said Robert A. Middleton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. "The FBI will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to investigate cases such as this and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice."
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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