Atco woman who admitted to fraud must pay almost $3.9 million in restitution

CAMDEN — An Atco woman has received a prison term of more than three years for a massive embezzlement from a former employer.

Jennifer Vandever received a 41-month sentence and must pay restitution of almost $3.9 million, according to an IRS spokesman.

She admitted guilt in June 2023 to wire fraud, income tax evasion and trafficking in an unauthorized access device, court records show.

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Vandever, then 49, was charged in February 2022 with using corporate credit cards for personal expenses from 2011 to 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.

It said she used some of the funds for purchases at supermarkets, restaurants and gas stations, as well as for insurance, utility and phone bills.

Her employer's money also paid for home repairs, tuition payments and "extensive gift card purchases," an indictment said.

In addition, Vandever allegedly tried to evade more than $500,000 of federal income taxes on unreported income.

The indictment identified the victimized firm only as a foreign-owned business in Camden County.

But Vandever's LinkedIn page showed her working at the Pennsauken facility of Puratos Corp., a Belgian firm that supplies bakery and chocolate businesses.

Vandever admitted guilt under a plea agreement in June 2023.

A sentencing order directs the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to put Vandever in a facility near her home "with access to skills training and mental health treatment."

U.S. District Judge Karen Williams also ordered Vandever to spend three years on supervised release after completing her term.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter at the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Atco woman who admitted to fraud must pay almost $3.9 million in restitution