Cynthia Tanner, 53, of Darien, has been hit with a 10-count indictment for allegedly embezzling approximately $800,000 from a Connecticut-based veterans services organization.
According to the indictment, Tanner was employed as a bookkeeper for the National Veterans Service Fund, a non-profit organization that provides case managed social services and limited medical assistance to Vietnam and Persian Gulf War veterans and their families.
From January 2009 through June 2014, Tanner allegedly used NVSF funds to pay various personal expenses for herself and her family members, totaling $800,000. She also altered records to conceal her scheme and falsely claimed that the stolen monies were being paid to veterans in need.
The indictment further alleges that Tanner failed to report $794,768.47 in embezzled income on her 2009 through 2013 federal tax returns, resulting in a tax loss of $270,026.
Tanner is charged with five counts of wire fraud, carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and five counts of tax evasion, carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count.
Tanner has been detained on related state charges since her arrest on June 2, 2014.
U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is assigned to Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and Darien Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Related Federal Cases
- Willie C. Grant, ID Theft and Tax Refund Fraud, Macon GA, 2008 · Connecticut
- Deirdre M. Daly, Election Fraud, Connecticut 2016 · Missouri
- Kaeisha Robinson, Identity Theft and Tax Fraud, AZ 2023 · Iowa
- Donald Biagi Jr., Tax Evasion, CT 2024 · Connecticut
- Aaron Johnson, Investment Fraud Scheme, Connecticut 2024 · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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