Naimah Sillah, Embezzlement of $103,811, Washington DC, 2023

Naimah Sillah, 40, of Forestville, Md., has admitted to looting more than $100,000 from the Washington, D.C. law firm where she worked as office manager—a five-year heist of deceit that relied on forged checks and phony businesses. Sillah pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, a federal charge that exposes her to up to a decade behind bars.

The thefts began as early as March 2009 and continued through January 2014, all while Sillah held one of the most trusted positions in the firm—overseeing accounts payable, vendor invoices, and check disbursements. Instead of safeguarding the firm’s finances, she exploited the role, writing unauthorized checks to herself and diverting funds to two shell companies she created. One bore a name nearly identical to a long-standing vendor, a ruse that duped firm owners into rubber-stamping payments they believed were routine.

According to court documents, the total stolen amounted to $103,811—every dollar funneled into Sillah’s personal accounts for her own benefit. The scheme unraveled after internal discrepancies raised red flags, prompting a forensic review that traced the illicit payments back to her. Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department followed the money trail across state lines, establishing the jurisdictional hook for federal prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced the plea and praised the MPD’s thorough investigation. He also commended the prosecution team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, specifically Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Howie, who handled the criminal case, and Diane Lucas, who secured a $103,811 forfeiture money judgment. Paralegal Specialists Kaitlyn Krueger and Jessica Mundi provided critical support throughout the probe.

At sentencing, set for Feb. 2, 2017, before Judge Amy Berman Jackson, Sillah faces a likely prison term of 10 to 16 months under federal guidelines. In addition to incarceration, she has agreed to pay full restitution—$103,811—and forfeit the same amount. The dual financial penalty underscores the severity with which the courts treat breaches of trust in financial roles.

This case lays bare how easily internal controls can be subverted by a single dishonest employee in a position of authority. Sillah’s fall from office manager to federal defendant serves as a stark reminder: embezzlement isn’t just theft—it’s betrayal, dressed in business attire and hidden in plain sight.

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