Joan C. Trower, 51, of Seattle, is headed to federal prison for 28 months after stealing more than $150,000 from a high-end mountain bike company where she worked as a contract bookkeeper and accountant. On November 19, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez handed down the sentence in Seattle’s federal court, calling it the court’s duty to protect small businesses like the victimized company from predators in the books.
Trower pleaded guilty in August 2021 to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors revealed she orchestrated a years-long scheme from July 2015 to May 2018, using her access to company accounts to funnel cash into her own pockets. Her contract was terminated when red flags emerged—like writing up to thirteen checks to herself in a single month, compared to the typical employee’s three.
The embezzlement operation was methodical and brazen. Trower created fake checks through the company’s software, forged executive signatures, and claimed reimbursements for nonexistent tax accounting services. She set up phony businesses and opened bank accounts in their names—all shells designed to disguise the theft. Over a few months in 2018 alone, she transferred more than $26,000 directly into her personal accounts.
She didn’t stop at forgery. Trower committed aggravated identity theft by submitting fraudulent invoices under a third-party tax accountant’s name and forging executive signatures on checks. To make it look legitimate, she created a fake email account—one she’d send messages to herself from—fabricating correspondence to justify false expenses. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dreher called the scam “elaborate, sophisticated, and longstanding” in a sentencing memo.
The stolen funds weren’t hidden under mattresses. Trower and her boyfriend blew the money at area casinos, gambling away profits that should have gone to a small business struggling to stay afloat. The company, already operating on razor-thin margins, was left to absorb the financial blow until justice was served.
Trower must now pay $168,597 in restitution. The FBI led the investigation into her crimes, and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dreher prosecuted the case. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown emphasized that trust is currency in business—and Trower burned it for personal gain.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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