Victoria Mazur, Wire Fraud, Pennsylvania 2017

A Plum Boro resident has been held accountable for her role in a brazen scheme to defraud her former employer of nearly $200,000. Victoria Mazur, 52, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in a federal court in Pittsburgh, PA, on an unspecified date.

According to court documents, Mazur was employed as a Controller for Gateway Packaging Corporation, a company based in Export, PA. Between December 2012 and December 2017, she issued 189 fraudulent credit card refunds to herself and her husband through the company's point of sale terminal. The total loss from these refunds was a staggering $190,829.01.

But that was not the only way Mazur abused her position. She also used the company's credit cards for personal expenses, resulting in an additional loss of approximately $4,200.00. To cover her tracks, Mazur provided the company's owners with false financial statements that understated the company's true sales figures.

The court was advised that Mazur's scheme went undetected for several years, allowing her to accumulate significant losses. However, the authorities eventually caught on, and she was charged with a single count of wire fraud. Mazur pleaded guilty to the charge and is set to be sentenced on March 24, 2020, at 1:00 P.M.

Under the federal sentencing guidelines, Mazur faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00. However, the actual sentence imposed will depend on the seriousness of the offense and any prior criminal history she may have.

Mazur was released on bond pending sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation that led to Mazur's prosecution.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability in the workplace. Employers and employees alike must work together to prevent and detect instances of fraud and embezzlement. In this case, Mazur's actions have resulted in significant financial losses for her former employer and will likely have long-lasting consequences for her personally.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-controller-export-pa-company-stole-nearly-200k-and-falsified-financial