Kimberly Hodge, aka Kimberly Hughen, 51, of Loretto, Tennessee, is behind bars after being hit with a federal indictment accusing her of looting more than $200,000 from her employer, Integrity Architectural Millwork, in a brazen embezzlement scheme that stretched from February 2019 to April 2020. The charges include three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to documents unsealed in Nashville.
Hodge, who served as bookkeeper for the Nashville-based firm, used her access to the company’s QuickBooks system to funnel money into her personal bank account. She orchestrated fraudulent deposits and redirected vendor payments meant for legitimate business expenses straight into her own pockets, federal prosecutors say. The scheme began unraveling when she escalated to outright forgery.
In February 2020, Hodge allegedly forged the signature and name of the company’s owner to apply for a $150,000 loan from a financial institution. She submitted the owner’s personal information, including a photo of their driver’s license, without consent. The move was designed to backfill the company’s depleted operating account and mask the growing hole left by her thefts.
The fraud deepened when Integrity received $127,447 through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the CARES Act—funds strictly intended for employee salaries and critical business costs during the pandemic. Instead of protecting jobs, Hodge allegedly siphoned PPP money into the company’s operating account to further conceal her crimes.
When the company uncovered the fraud in April 2020, Hodge was fired—but that didn’t stop her. Prosecutors allege she continued attempting unauthorized purchases using the company’s credit card even after her termination. The government is now seeking a forfeiture judgment of at least $209,443.63, the total proceeds of the crime.
If convicted, Hodge faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and up to 20 years for each wire fraud count, plus a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Fraud Division and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn W. Booth. An indictment is not a conviction—Hodge is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Related Federal Cases
- Kimberly Hodge Indicted in $209K Embezzlement Scheme · Tennessee
- Aurora Swindler Sentenced to Six Years for $300k Fraudulent Scheme · Indiana
- Mississippi Entrepreneur Indicted for $1.2M Bank Fraud Scheme · Mississippi
- Kalena Winston Pleads Guilty to $70K Tax Fraud Scheme · Kansas
- James Cope Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading Scheme · Tennessee
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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