Vanessa L. Pollard, Wire Fraud, Tax Evasion, Oklahoma 2017

Mustang Woman Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Fraud and Tax Crimes

Oklahoma City, OK - In a recent court ruling, Vanessa L. Pollard, of Mustang, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for wire fraud and signing a false federal income tax return in connection with a $1.3 million embezzlement.

Pollard worked as a bookkeeper for an insurance agency in Yukon, Oklahoma, from April 1999 until early August 2016. As part of her job, she reviewed monthly bank statements, made entries in an internal accounting system, and reconciled those records with a business checking account at Yukon National Bank. She was accused of writing unauthorized checks and making unauthorized interstate wire transfers from the business checking account to pay her personal credit card accounts.

The charges also alleged that Pollard altered bank statements to conceal these payments from the agency's management. On August 8, 2017, Pollard was charged by information with one count of wire fraud and one count of signing a false federal income tax return.

On August 30, 2017, Pollard pleaded guilty to transmitting $3,178 through interstate wires in January 2014 with the intent to defraud her employer, the insurance agency. She also pleaded guilty to signing a false tax return. In particular, she admitted that on May 13, 2013, she signed a personal federal tax return for the 2012 calendar year that she knew was false because it reported only $50,736 in total income when she knew her 2012 income was substantially higher.

Today, U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange sentenced Pollard to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. As part of the sentence, she must pay restitution of $1,239,822.95 to her former employer, $25,000 to Travelers Casualty Insurance, and $127,287 to the Internal Revenue Service. In a plea agreement, she agreed to forfeit property purchased with funds traceable to her embezzlement, including her house in Mustang, two trucks, a sports car, three motorcycles, a boat, two jet skis, and a retirement account.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations and the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark R. Stoneman.

According to the information, Pollard's scheme resulted in a loss of $1.3 million to her former employer. The total restitution ordered is $1,239,822.95, which includes payment to the insurance agency, Travelers Casualty Insurance, and the Internal Revenue Service.

Pollard's sentence is a significant example of the consequences of embezzlement and tax evasion. The case serves as a warning to individuals who engage in such crimes, and highlights the importance of accountability and transparency in financial dealings.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/mustang-woman-sentenced-more-three-years-prison-fraud-and-tax-crimes