A Tacoma man entrusted with the books at a freight management firm has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after stealing $2,294,761 from his employer over five years. Toni Andersson, 37, exploited his role as accounting coordinator at Expedited Solutions to siphon off more than $2.3 million through a web of fraudulent transactions, federal prosecutors confirmed today in Seattle.
U.S. District Judge James L. Robart handed down the sentence, emphasizing the breach of trust at the heart of the crime. “There are a lot of people out there who we trust to do the right thing and we need to say there is a serious consequence for doing the wrong thing,” Judge Robart said during the hearing. Andersson’s actions not only gutted company finances but also exposed employee retirement accounts to severe risk.
Court records detail how Andersson manipulated accounting software to make personal withdrawals appear as legitimate vendor payments. He forged checks using the company owner’s signature stamp, wrote checks directly to himself, and shuffled money between company accounts to conceal the theft. Over the course of 160 weeks, he executed more than 400 fraudulent transactions.
An external audit exposed the scheme in February 2016. The audit revealed a secondary betrayal: Andersson failed to forward employee 401k contributions, leaving over $70,000 in retirement funds unaccounted for. The company’s owner was forced to cover those losses personally to protect his workers.
The embezzled funds fueled a lavish lifestyle. Andersson used the money to remodel a high-end home, buy a luxury car and a boat, launch a short-lived coffee shop, and fund shopping sprees of up to $2,000 a day. He even paid tuition to enroll in an online law school—ironically pursuing a career in justice while committing a massive financial crime.
The FBI led the investigation into the fraud. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs prosecuted the case. Andersson must now serve his sentence and pay full restitution to Expedited Solutions, a company left reeling by one man’s greed and deception.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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