Elisabeth Dawn Williams, Mail Fraud, Alabama 2023

A Mobile woman, Elisabeth Dawn Williams, 45, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for mail fraud and access device fraud relating to her embezzlement of money from her employer.

According to court documents, Williams worked for and stole $276,609.84 from a Mobile-based construction company between July 2016 and October 2018.

Williams worked for the company as a payroll manager, a position of trust that granted her access to the company’s financial information and payment mechanisms. To carry out her fraud, Williams unlawfully used the company’s preloaded business purchase cards to make unauthorized purchases of personal items at various local and online retailers.

In furtherance of the scheme, Williams caused several personal items, including shoes and jewelry, to be shipped to her home in Mobile via the U.S. mail and UPS. As part of her guilty plea, Williams admitted that her unauthorized purchases misrepresented the business affairs of her employer and violated its rules and restrictions governing the use of its purchase cards.

In 2003, Williams was convicted and sentenced in the Circuit Court of Dallas County, Alabama, for a similar fraud scheme. In that case, Williams admitted that she had stolen $109,284.26 from her employer, a retailer in Selma.

Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Williams to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will undergo mental health treatment and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Williams to pay $276,609.84 in victim restitution and $400 in special assessments.

The United States Secret Service investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bishop Ravenel and Justin Roller on behalf of the United States. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

Williams’s case serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting company assets and ensuring proper oversight of financial transactions.

The case is a stark example of the consequences of embezzlement and the need for employees to maintain the trust placed in them by their employers.

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