Woman sentenced for embezzling over $550,000 over 15 years

HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – An Evansville woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of wire fraud.

Officials state Rebecca Willis, 67, embezzled over $550,000 from her employer for over 15 years.

According to court documents, Willis was a bookkeeper with an architectural firm at its Evansville location for more than 20 years where she had various financial responsibilities, including handling accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll.

Officials say between 2006 and 2021, Willis entered false payroll data to unjustly enrich herself where she inflated her regular and overtime hours, bonuses and mileage reimbursement to cause her employer to pay her more than she was actually owed.

Officials also say Willis’ bi-weekly pay was generally 40% fraudulent and 60% legitimate. Additionally, Willis used the company’s business account and company credit cards to make unauthorized purchases of items that she retained for her personal use and benefit, including gift cards and gasoline. In total, Willis stole about $570,209.47 from her employer.

“This defendant lied, stole and cooked the books to line her pocket with no remorse, betraying her employer of two decades and repaying their trust by fraudulently increasing her income by nearly forty percent over fifteen years,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Fraud and embezzlement can have devastating effects on companies. The federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that those who commit financial crimes will pay a serious price. I commend the FBI, Evansville Police Department, and our federal prosecutor for their efforts to investigate these crimes and hold the defendant accountable.”

Willis was ordered to pay every dollar of the $570,209.47 in restitution to her former employer. After release, Willis will also be under supervised release for three years.

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