Diane Backis, Mail Fraud, New York 2017

A Greene County woman has been convicted of stealing over $3.1 million from Cargill, Inc., a multinational conglomerate.

Diane Backis, 50, of Athens, New York, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing a false income tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The scheme lasted over a decade, causing at least $25 million in losses to the company.

Backis worked as an accounting manager at Cargill's Port of Albany facility, where she was responsible for creating customer contracts, generating and mailing invoices, and receiving and processing customer payments. She admitted to defrauding Cargill by diverting customer payments to her personal bank accounts and selling grain products for millions less than her employer paid.

As part of her plea, Backis agreed to pay Cargill at least $3.5 million in restitution and forfeit her house, investment brokerage account, and Cargill pension benefits. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced on March 28, 2017.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Albany Division, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Backis' guilty plea sends a strong message that crime does not pay, said U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. The FBI will continue to work with law enforcement partners to ensure people like Backis are held accountable.

The case highlights the importance of corporate controls and internal auditing to prevent such schemes from occurring. Cargill has implemented new measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/greene-county-woman-admits-stealing-31-million-cargill-inc