⏱ 3 min read
Charity Felch, a 48-year-old woman from Santa Fe, New Mexico, embezzled at least $385,930 from her employer, Rodeo Electrical Services, between May 2017 and April 2020. Felch, who was in a position of trust, used company funds for personal expenses, paid herself and her husband, and concealed the theft through fraudulent financial transactions. The scheme nearly drove the company into financial ruin and caused significant financial, emotional, and physical hardship for the owner. Felch’s actions were a blatant abuse of the trust granted to her by her employer, who had also provided her with housing.
Felch’s embezzlement scheme was not the only illegal activity she engaged in. She also committed bank fraud by tendering fraudulent checks and aggravated identity theft and access device fraud by using another person’s identifying information and financial accounts without authorization. Despite pleading guilty to five counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud, Felch continued to engage in deceptive conduct while on pretrial release.
A federal judge found Felch’s testimony regarding her employment history not credible and concluded that she had provided false information to supervising officers over an extended period. As a result, Felch was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $385,930.19 in restitution to the victim. The sentence was at the top of the advisory guideline range, reflecting the seriousness of Felch’s conduct and the need to deter others from committing similar fraud.
The case highlights the devastating consequences of embezzlement and the importance of holding individuals accountable for their actions. Felch’s sentence serves as a warning to others who would abuse positions of trust for personal gain. The victim, Rodeo Electrical Services, can now begin to recover from the significant financial losses inflicted by Felch’s actions.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: White Collar Crime
- Defendant: New Mexico
- Location: NM
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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