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Embezzlement Rocks Miss Florida Scholarship Program
A 77-year-old woman has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for the Miss Florida Scholarship Program.
Mary Wickersham, the former Executive Director of the program, pleaded guilty earlier this year to embezzling funds from the non-profit organization.
According to prosecutors, Wickersham formed a Florida corporation named ‘Miss Florida LLC’ in 2011 and used it to open a bank account in the same name without the knowledge or consent of the Miss Florida Scholarship Program.
She then redirected hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Miss Florida LLC bank account, which she controlled, by using her position as Executive Director to solicit donations from the program’s recurring business sponsors and donors.
Wickersham used the money for her own personal gain, rather than to fund scholarships for the program’s women, as she had represented.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie Waxman and Eduardo Gardea Jr. prosecuted it.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman imposed the sentence, which also includes $243,000 in restitution for the stolen funds.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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