ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – Former Bristol Virginia Utilities Authority (BVU) Chief Financial Officer Stacey Pomrenke has been sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for her role in a wide-ranging corruption scheme that involved multiple counts of fraud and abuse of power.
Pomrenke, 44, of Abingdon, Virginia, was convicted in February 2016 on 14 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, making false statements, conspiracy to commit fraud, attempting to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. In addition to her prison sentence, she was also found guilty of contempt of court.
During her trial, it was revealed that Pomrenke used her position with the utility to obtain things of value from vendors, including tickets to baseball and football games, alcohol, and funding for official company functions. She also falsely reported wages and other financial benefits of BVU employees to the Internal Revenue Service.
“The level of corruption this investigation uncovered has been simply astounding,” said United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. “We are proud of the work our partners in law enforcement have done in rebuilding the public’s trust in this entity and hope today’s sentence shows that when those in positions of public trust attempt to profit from corruption they will pay with their freedom.”
As part of her sentence, Pomrenke was also ordered to pay $15,116 in restitution, $34,546 in money judgment forfeiture, a $10,000 fine, and a special assessment of $1,400. The investigation into the case remains ongoing, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, continuing to work together to root out public corruption.
“By engaging in corrupt behavior and abusing her position, Pomrenke was able to line her pockets for personal gain,” said Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office. “Today’s sentencing stands as an example that IRS-CI, along with the United States Attorney and our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute crimes involving fraud and in particular fraud that erodes the public’s confidence.”
The FBI and IRS are urging citizens to report any instances of public corruption or fraud to law enforcement. According to Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, public corruption is the FBI’s top criminal investigative priority, and they are committed to seeking out and holding accountable those who manipulate the system for personal gain.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Jayne, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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