A Lowell woman has pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $182,000 from her employer, a veterinary hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Sasha A. Saulnier, 32, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, who scheduled sentencing for April 24, 2020. In August 2019, Saulnier was charged by criminal complaint.
Saulnier was employed by the full-service animal hospital as a client relations specialist from October 2011 until September 2018. During that time, she had various client responsibilities, including selling retail products to customers at the hospital. Saulnier also served in a temporary supervisory role, which gave her access to management software and the ability to manipulate account transactions and accounting data.
From March 2014 through August 2018, Saulnier entered false refund transactions into the company’s management software and then credited her own personal debit cards, which linked directly to her personal checking account. The scheme involved fabricating refunds for fictitious retail purchases that were never actually made, and then crediting that amount to her own debit card.
In an effort to conceal her fraud, Saulnier used dormant accounts of inactive hospital clients, such as those with deceased pets and so-called ‘test accounts,’ set up solely for training purposes. She also fabricated discounts which she applied to purchases of retail products.
Over the course of the scheme, Saulnier used her position to falsify approximately 482 transactions resulting in refunds and credits totaling more than $182,800 to her own bank account. Saulnier used this money for personal expenses and travel, including trips to Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or up to twice the loss involved, restitution, and forfeiture.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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