Carrie Leigh Long, 52, of Ash Grove, Missouri, has been indicted on 24 federal counts after allegedly stealing $362,175 from her employer, Executive Coach Builders, Inc., over a four-year span. The wire fraud scheme, which ran from February 2016 to September 2020, exploited her role as an in-house accountant with full access to company checks and financial records.
The Springfield-based company, which builds luxury buses, coaches, and limousines and operates globally from factories in Missouri and California, hired Long in April 2014 to handle accounting for both Executive Coach Builders, Inc. and Executive Bus Builders, Inc. Instead of safeguarding company funds, prosecutors say she weaponized her position—writing unauthorized checks to herself, forging signatures, and altering pre-signed checks to siphon money undetected.
Federal authorities unsealed the 24-count indictment on Monday after Long’s arrest and initial court appearance. The charges include 17 counts of wire fraud, five counts of filing false tax returns, one count of obstructing the IRS, and six counts of failing to pay employment taxes. Long is accused of failing to report the stolen funds as income on her personal tax returns from 2016 through 2020, directly defrauding the IRS.
Even more damaging, Long allegedly stopped remitting employment taxes to the IRS beginning in April 2019. By manipulating bank statements and falsifying financial reports, she concealed that approximately $902,226 in payroll taxes went unpaid for two quarters in 2019 and one in 2020. When IRS agents moved to collect, she handed over doctored documents claiming the debts had been settled.
The indictment details a calculated, long-running deception. Long didn’t just pocket cash—she dismantled internal financial safeguards, forged documents, and repeatedly lied to federal investigators. Her access to check stock and accounting systems allowed her to operate under the radar for years, eroding trust and leaving her employer facing massive tax penalties.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Kempf and was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Long faces decades in prison if convicted. The charges are accusations; a trial jury will decide her guilt or innocence. For now, the fall of Carrie Leigh Long stands as a stark reminder: the most dangerous theft often comes from within.
RELATED: Carrie Leigh Long Indicted in $362K Wire Fraud Scheme
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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