Lisa McMahon, Wire Fraud and Theft, California 2013

San Jose, California – In a shocking case of corruption, a federal grand jury has indicted Lisa McMahon, a payroll specialist from Mountain View, Arkansas, for wire fraud and theft of $800,000 from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing, California.

According to the indictment, McMahon was employed at MBARI as a payroll specialist with responsibilities concerning the payment of wages, 401(k) contributions, and loans for MBARI employees. The indictment alleges that, from at least 2005 until January 2012, McMahon devised and executed a scheme to defraud MBARI by altering payroll and 401(k) records to cause and conceal fraudulent payments to her personal accounts.

The indictment states that McMahon caused the transfer of approximately $800,000 of MBARI funds to her personal accounts without the authorization or knowledge of her employer. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, section 1343, is twenty years imprisonment and a fine up to twice the pecuniary gain or loss associated with the offense, plus restitution.

The maximum statutory penalty for each count of theft from a federal program in violation of Title 18, United States Code, section 666, is ten years imprisonment and a fine up to twice the pecuniary gain or loss associated with the offense, plus restitution. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Lisa McMahon’s initial appearance is scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2013, at 10:30 am, in front of The Honorable Paul S. Grewal, U.S. Magistrate Judge, in San Jose, California. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Guentert with the assistance of Elise Etter.

Please note that an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, McMahon must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a non-profit center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology located in Moss Landing, California, and supported in part by federal funding.

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