A Missouri woman has entered a guilty plea for a scheme that swindled her employer out of a staggering $3.8 million, in a case that has triggered shockwaves through St. Charles County. Bridget Thebeau, 45, confessed to five counts of wire fraud in a U.S. District Court on Thursday, laying bare a complex international embezzlement operation.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Thebeau exploited her position to facilitate fraudulent transactions from about January 2015 to March 2024, involving over 200 deceptive purchase orders. She cut a deal with Chinese suppliers, directing her employer to fork out cash for phantom products, which in fact, were never intended for procurement or delivery. Thirsty for riches, Thebeau and her overseas collaborators enriched themselves at the company's expense, while she stacked layers of lies with fake shipping labels and bills of lading, to dress her tracks.
The aftermath of these fraudulent dealings saw the family-run company, which had employed Thebeau since 2002, reel from at least $3,821,152 in losses. And in what has become a trademark of deceit, her Chinese co-conspirators reportedly sent her over $2 million kickbacks, for greasing the wheels of this fraudulent machinery. The resulting financial strain has torn at the retirement plans of the company's owner, who, battered by betrayal, can no longer afford to retreat from the workforce.
Thebeau's day of reckoning is set for Sept. 11, 2025. In the wake of her admission, she faces a potential 20-year prison sentence, along with fines that could soar up to $250,000. The inquiry, which peeled back the layers of Thebeau's elaborate scheme, was a combined effort of the U.S. Secret Service and the Chesterfield Police Department.
