A South Carolina woman has admitted to carrying out an embezzlement scheme and amassing over $1.7 million from her employer. Kristin Turney, a 54-year-old resident of Catawba, pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge in federal court as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
Details furnished by court documents reveal that Turney, who managed her company's financial operations, engaged in the illicit activity from 2016 to 2023. Her role gave her oversight of essential aspects such as payroll and tax filings, a position she exploited to funnel company funds into personal accounts. In over a thousand fraudulent transactions, Turney is said to have redirected funds intended for company use to serve her personal endeavors, announced U.S. Attorney Dena J. King and Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
Turney's scheme involved not just the unauthorized writing and depositing of company checks but also a system of cover-ups, which featured falsifying accounting entries and misled tax professionals and company officials regarding the true state of financial affairs. Her purchases, as described, spanned across a range of personal luxuries, from high-end shopping sprees to educational expenses.
Turney could receive up to 20 years in prison along with a potential fine reaching $250,000 for the wire fraud charge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley is responsible for the prosecution of the case.
