Joan C. Trower, Embezzlement, Washington 2021
Joan C. Trower Sentenced to 28 Months in Prison for Embezzlement
A Seattle woman who embezzled over $150,000 from a high-end mountain bike company has been sentenced to 28 months in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.
Joan C. Trower, 51, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2021. At the sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said, ‘It is part of the Court’s “job to protect the community, especially small businesses such as the victim in this case.”
Trower worked as a contract bookkeeper and accountant for the mountain bike company from July 2015 to May 2018. Her contract was terminated when the embezzlement was discovered. Trower used a variety of schemes to steal over $150,000 from company accounts, including creating checks using the company software system, forging signatures, claiming expenses and compensation she did not earn, and making transfers from company accounts to accounts she controlled in the names of phony tax accounting businesses.
Trower transferred more than $26,000 to her account in the span of just a few months in 2018. She and her boyfriend used the money to gamble at area casinos. Trower committed aggravated identity theft when she forged the signature of company executives on fraudulent checks and when she submitted false invoices in the name of a third-party tax accountant to justify reimbursements to Trower.
Trower is obligated to pay $168,597 in restitution to the mountain bike company, according to prosecutors. Writing to the court, Assistant United States Attorney William Dreher noted that the scheme was difficult to detect and ‘elaborate, sophisticated, and longstanding.'
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Dreher. Trower’s actions had a significant impact on the small business, and her sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of white-collar crimes.
Defendant: Joan C. Trower
Criminal Charges: Wire fraud and aggravated identity theft
City and State: Seattle, Washington
Exact Date: November 19, 2021
Sentence: 28 months in prison
Dollar Amount: $150,000 embezzled, $168,597 restitution due
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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