NEWARK, N.J. – Lisa Popewiny, a 56-year-old Clifton woman, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud a Clifton-based trucking company of more than $900,000, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Popewiny, who previously pleaded guilty to Count One of an indictment charging her with wire fraud, was handed down the sentence by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in Court, Popewiny was the payroll clerk at Clifford B. Finkle Jr. Inc., a Clifton company that provided transportation and freight services to various public and private entities located in New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere.
From June 2012 to April 2015, Popewiny, along with brothers Miguel Vidal, Angel D. Vidal, and Angel Gabriel Vidal, engaged in a scheme to defraud the company of $920,380.
Popewiny falsified payroll records in order to generate fraudulent paychecks payable to non-existent employees, including the Vidal brothers. The three men then converted the fraudulent paychecks, many of which were deposited into their bank accounts and then funneled out of the accounts in cash.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Popewiny to three years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $920,379 in restitution and $735,591 in forfeiture.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited criminal investigators in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Judy Ramos, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
Defense counsel for Popewiny was Christopher D. Adams Esq. from Holmdel, New Jersey. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cari Fais and Lee M. Cortes Jr., Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
