Albany, GA — A bookkeeper and mechanic duo who turned their employer into a personal ATM for over seven years were hit with federal prison time after a jury convicted them of orchestrating a $466,692.41 wire fraud scheme. Tamara Andreatta, 45, and Stacy Rix, 47, both of Albany, were sentenced on January 19, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Leslie J. Abrams in the Middle District of Georgia. Andreatta received 61 months behind bars; Rix got 24 months. Both will serve three years of supervised release and must pay full restitution.
The crimes unfolded at Industrial Manufacturing, an Albany-based company that produces machine parts and equipment. Andreatta, the company’s bookkeeper, exploited her access to company finances by using Rix’s active company credit card and reviving dormant cards belonging to former employees. From November 2006 through the investigation, the couple funneled more than $450,000 in unauthorized charges for groceries, car payments, household bills, and even a Caribbean cruise—all on the company’s dime.
Following a September 2016 jury trial, both defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Andreatta faced additional consequences, convicted on two counts of aggravated identity theft for her role in reactivating and using ex-employees’ financial accounts. The evidence laid bare a calculated betrayal of trust, with Andreatta manipulating internal systems while Rix, as her cohabitant and co-conspirator, enabled the scheme’s longevity.
U.S. Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, didn’t mince words: “Theft from an employer, who trusted you enough to both give you a job and to put you in a position where you had access to company accounts, believing you to be honest, is as ungrateful an act as it is illegal. These defendants fully deserve the sentences they received in this case.” The comment underscored the federal government’s stance on internal financial betrayal.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the probe, peeling back layers of falsified charges and digital breadcrumbs left across credit card transactions and internal company records. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Alan Dasher prosecuted the case, building a timeline that exposed the fraud’s scope and duration. Investigators noted the brazen nature of the theft—spanning nearly a decade with minimal attempts to conceal the personal use of company funds.
Questions about the investigation or prosecution should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603. The case stands as a stark warning to employees in positions of financial trust: privilege can become prison when greed takes the wheel.
Related Federal Cases
- Ballwin Man Darrin Landes Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Scheme · Kentucky
- Jamel ‘Goo’ Yates Gets 3 Years in $1.3M Wire Fraud Scheme · North Carolina
- Cordele Woman Indicted for Stealing Identities in Tax Fraud Scheme · Georgia
- Frazier Sentenced for $2M Wire Fraud · Maryland
- Upson Co. Woman and Sumter Co. Resident Indicted in Tax Fraud Scheme · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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