Stacey Walters, 38, of Indian Head, Md., is going to prison for a year and a day after stealing over $105,000 from Howard University, where she worked as an accountant. The federal heist unfolded between December 2010 and May 2011, when Walters weaponized her access to financial systems to reroute payments meant for vendors directly into her own pocket and that of an accomplice.
Walters pled guilty in September 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of wire fraud. Judge James E. Boasberg handed down the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release post-incarceration. She was also ordered to pay $57,586 in restitution—only a portion of the total damage she caused.
According to court records, Walters submitted 13 fraudulent payment forms during her crime spree. On one, she listed her own bank details, siphoning $9,388. On the remaining 12, she used the banking information of Shantel Brown, 34, of Waldorf, Md., funneling $96,398 into Brown’s account. Brown then forwarded half of those stolen funds to Walters at her direction—making this a coordinated rip-off, not a one-off theft.
Brown pled guilty on February 22, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. She was sentenced on November 1, 2016—by the same judge—to the same term: a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release. She must repay $128,072 in restitution, a figure that includes not only the Howard University theft but a separate crime.
Brown admitted in court to a second scheme, this one targeting her employer, Defenders of Wildlife, where she worked as a payroll/compliance specialist. From November 2011 to March 2013, she stole $79,874 from the nonprofit, further exposing a pattern of brazen financial betrayal. Her dual convictions paint a picture of a serial fraudster operating under the radar for years.
U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, who announced the sentence, credited investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department and Criminal Investigator Stephen Cohen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistance came from Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, Criminal Investigator Juan Juarez, and Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Christopher Toms, and Aisha Keys. The prosecutions were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Howie, who brought both women to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Ashley Furst Gets 27 Months for $545K Non-Profit Heist · Colorado
- D.C. Gun Trafficker Alston Gets 7 Years for Maryland Pawn Shop Heist · Maryland
- D.C. Gun Runner McNeal Gets 7 Years in Maryland Pawn Shop Heist · Maryland
- Batman-Costumed Shooter Gets 15 Years · Washington
- Jill Murray Pleads Guilty to $280K D.C. Architecture Firm Heist · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
