THERESA ERNESTINE LINSMEIER Indicted on Embezzlement Charges
A Fairfax bookkeeper has been charged with embezzling over $500,000 from her employer, Farm Mercantile, Inc.
According to the indictment, THERESA ERNESTINE LINSMEIER, 58, of Fairfax, Minn., embezzled the funds between 2011 and 2016 while working as a bookkeeper at the hardware store.
LINSMEIER had access to and was an authorized signatory on Farm Mercantile’s bank accounts and had authority to sign and issue checks on behalf of the company.
As part of the scheme, LINSMEIER transferred money to her personal credit cards directly from the bank accounts to which she had access. She attempted to conceal her embezzlement by creating false entries in Farm Mercantile’s general ledger to make it look like the money she stole had actually been used to pay legitimate business expenses.
The indictment alleges that LINSMEIER stole approximately $535,000, which she used for online gambling.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
The defendant will make her initial appearance in United States District Court on March 15, 2018.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker announced the federal indictment charging LINSMEIER with three counts of wire fraud and five counts of filing false tax returns.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson is prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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