Tiffani Meeks, Wire Fraud, West Virginia 2021

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A shocking case of financial deceit has come to light in the Mountain State. Tiffani Meeks, 38, of Barboursville, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud after defrauding a Cabell County business while serving as its bookkeeper.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from August 1, 2019, through March 9, 2021, Meeks was responsible for paying bills, monitoring credit and bank statements, maintaining accurate accounting records, and providing those records to the company’s owners upon request.

However, Meeks had other plans. Between February 19, 2020, and November 3, 2020, she used company credit cards not issued to her to make three unauthorized personal online purchases totaling $7,329.39. Those purchases included a staggering $3,179.99 for an inflatable bouncy house.

Meeks further admitted that her unauthorized personal online purchases with company credit cards totaled at least $121,841.60 between February 12, 2020, and June 18, 2021. What’s even more alarming is that she made at least $6,862.83 of the unauthorized online purchases after she was fired by the company on March 9, 2021.

To conceal her deceit, Meeks had the unauthorized purchases shipped to her residence, mislabeled them as legitimate payments in company records, and withheld pages listing them before providing those records to the owners.

Meeks is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine. She also agreed to pay restitution. With an outstanding balance of at least $109,690.45, it’s clear that Meeks has a long way to go to make amends for her actions.

The FBI and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office are commended for their investigative work in bringing Meeks to justice. As the case unfolds, it’s essential to remember that wire fraud is a serious offense that can have devastating consequences for victims.

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