Kathy Darlene Strickmaker, Bank Fraud, West Virginia 2023

Kathy Darlene Strickmaker, a 64-year-old woman from Dry Branch, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for bank fraud, according to a recent federal indictment.

Strickmaker, the administrative assistant for a Charleston business from 2006 to 2018, was found to have devised a scheme to obtain money from her employer's bank account. From January 15, 2015, to November 21, 2018, Strickmaker wrote at least 80 unauthorized checks drawn from the business's bank accounts and forged her employer's signature on them.

The checks were made payable to herself, her son, and three of her son's associates in amounts ranging from $800 to $3,300. After the checks were cashed, Strickmaker's son would take the money, resulting in a total loss of $698,883.32 for the victim business.

“The defendant's scheme endured for years and was executed frequently, resulting in a staggering loss for the victim business,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) for their investigative work, and Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson for prosecuting the case.”

Strickmaker was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to one year and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $698,883.32 in restitution.

Kathy Darlene Strickmaker, of Dry Branch, West Virginia, was sentenced for bank fraud. The crime was committed in Charleston, West Virginia, from January 15, 2015, to November 21, 2018. Strickmaker was the administrative assistant for a business in Charleston, West Virginia, from 2006 to 2018.

The court documents show that Strickmaker was found guilty of bank fraud. She was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $698,883.32 in restitution. This is a federal case, and it was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-57.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/kanawha-county-woman-sentenced-prison-federal-fraud-crime