A Childersburg woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for a wire fraud scheme, announced local authorities.
Tonya Bird Swain, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Annemarie Axon to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for wire fraud. Swain was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $532,724.48 to the victim, her former employer Recycle USA.
Swain pleaded guilty to the charges in January, admitting to embezzling over $500,000 from Recycle USA, where she worked as the Controller and/or Accounts Manager.
According to the plea agreement, Swain manipulated QuickBooks entries and kept cash meant for company operations, using it to pay personal expenses. On multiple occasions between 2015 and 2017, Swain ordered funds to be delivered via Loomis to Recycle USA, which were then diverted for her own use.
‘This defendant violated the trust bestowed upon her by her employer,’ said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. ‘This sentence sends a message that such schemes to defraud will result in federal prosecution and prison time.’
‘Swain violated her employer’s trust when she defrauded them and went to great lengths to conceal her criminal activity,’ said FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. ‘This behavior is a serious federal crime and simply won’t be tolerated.’
The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Beardsley Mark prosecuted, securing a guilty plea and prison sentence for the defendant.
Related Federal Cases
- Jeffrey Phares, Wire Fraud Scheme, Fayetteville WV, 2023 · West Virginia
- Jeffrey Phares, Wire Fraud, WHEELING WV, 2023 · West Virginia
- Bruce Choi, COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Los Angeles CA, 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Daniqua Clark, Mail Stream Theft and COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Georgia 2023 · Georgia
- Amy Evangelista, Tax Return Fraud, Lathrop CA, 2023 · California
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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