A Gastonia woman has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for embezzling over $590,000 from her former employer.
Jennifer Ann Champagne, 40, of Gastonia, N.C. was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney on July 2015.
Champagne pleaded guilty to making and possessing forged and counterfeit securities, wire fraud and access device fraud.
According to court records, Champagne worked as an office manager and bookkeeper at a Charlotte-based company specializing in the construction and repair of tennis courts and running tracks from 2006 to 2013.
During that time, Champagne had access to the company’s safe, computer accounting programs, online bank accounts, security passwords and other confidential information, but was not authorized to sign company checks, or use the company’s bank accounts or credit card accounts outside of the normal course of business.
Champagne stole money from her former employer by signing the company’s President’s name on forged checks and then altering the company’s books and records to hide the theft.
The investigation was handled by the U.S. Secret Service, and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Champagne was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $594,208.01, in addition to her 40-month prison sentence and one year of supervised release.
The case serves as a reminder of the consequences of embezzlement and the importance of maintaining trust and integrity in the workplace.
Champagne will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Champagne’s scheme caused the company a loss of more than $590,000, which she embezzled over seven years from 2006 to 2013.
The charges against Champagne include making and possessing forged and counterfeit securities, wire fraud and access device fraud.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Gastonia woman Jennifer Ann Champagne has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for embezzling over $590,000 from her former employer.
Champagne was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $594,208.01, in addition to her 40-month prison sentence and one year of supervised release.
Champagne will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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