Vanessa Vence-Small, 50, of New Windsor, New York, has admitted to stealing $1.1 million from Continental BMW of Darien, a high-end auto dealership where she served as controller. Vence-Small waived indictment and pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in New Haven to one count of wire fraud, capping a three-year embezzlement spree that gutted company accounts.
Court records show that between October 2014 and June 2017, Vence-Small executed 65 unauthorized electronic fund transfers totaling $904,659.29, diverting dealership funds directly into her personal American Express account. The transfers were masked under routine financial operations, slipping past oversight while she maintained control over the firm’s books.
In addition to the electronic thefts, Vence-Small issued and signed 28 fraudulent checks from the dealership’s account, amounting to $207,777.78. Those checks were used to pay off personal debts, including credit card balances, contractors who worked on her home, and even another dealership where she bought a vehicle. The brazen misuse of company funds stretched across years with little pushback.
Vence-Small also ran up $31,452.08 in unauthorized charges on company credit accounts, using corporate lines for personal reimbursements and expenses. Altogether, the total theft reached $1,143,889.15—money meant for business operations siphoned off to fund a private lifestyle.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer has scheduled sentencing for May 24, 2018. Vence-Small now faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of approximately $2.3 million, and a court order for full restitution. She remains free on a $100,000 bond as she awaits judgment.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Darien Police Department, and the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen is prosecuting. U.S. Attorney John H. Durham called the betrayal of trust ‘a calculated breach by someone in a position of financial authority.’
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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