A former general manager from the Show-Me State is now showcasing a classic tale of financial deceit. Kristina Higgins, 54, has owned up to the hefty embezzlement of $878,000 from her former employer, a Missouri-based company. Her guilty plea to eight counts of bank fraud was officially entered Wednesday, as per a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri. The betrayal unfolded over an undisclosed period where Higgins freely issued company checks to cover her personal credit card bills, stamping them with the owner's signature to fly under the radar.
Higgins has agreed to repay the embezzled money, but she still faces sentencing on December 4, where she could receive up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. She carried out the scheme by falsifying documents to convince the company’s bank that fraudulent checks were legitimate.
The FBI uncovered the fraud through its investigation, which revealed irregularities in the company’s financial records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is leading the prosecution.
