Rose Horne, Mail Fraud & Money Laundering, Colorado 2021

FORT COLLINS, CO – In a shocking turn of events, Rose Horne, a 66-year-old former bookkeeper from Fort Collins, Colorado, has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering.

According to court documents, Horne worked as a bookkeeper for a small family-run plumbing business in Fort Collins for 27 years. From at least October 2005 through June 2011, Horne devised a scheme to steal over $1 million from her employer.

As part of her scheme, Horne wrote approximately 170 unauthorized checks to herself from her employer’s payroll bank account. Horne used unauthorized checks drawn on her employer’s general business accounts to pay her personal balances as well as other personal bills. Horne forged the owner’s signature on some checks or presented checks to the authorized signatories under the guise the checks were to pay business expenses.

Horne attempted to conceal the theft by writing void on check stubs, falsely writing the name of an actual vendor on the check stubs, and by cutting and blacking out portions of her employer’s bank statements that included copies of the checks in question.

Mail fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of not more than $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, and restitution. Engaging in a monetary transaction with proceeds derived from criminal activity carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.

Horne is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Denver before U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn on August 19, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pegeen D. Rhyne.

Horne’s case highlights the importance of accountability in the workplace and the severity of the consequences for those who engage in financial crimes. The people of Fort Collins and the state of Colorado can rest assured that justice will be served.

Case No. 14-cr-00093-REB

Please visit our website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/co for more information.

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