Prosecutors say the embezzlement scheme went on for 16 years.
Baltimore, Md (KM) A Hampstead woman was sentenced on Tuesday to 45 months in incarceration for mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft for embezzling nearly $1-million from her employer. In US District Court in Baltimore, Lisa Fore, 48 was also placed on three years of supervised released after she gets out of prison.
The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland says Fore worked for JC, CC, the Cirelli Company as a bookkeeper. She began her employment in 2001, and for the next 16 years, beginning in 2002, she forged signatures on company checks, made electronic transfers and used company credit cards to pay for her personal needs.
Fore admitted to concealing her scheme by creating fake bank statements and fake invoices from a long time vendor used by Cierlli entities, and accurately coded forged checks to pay for personal expenses.
When confronted by her employer about suspicious charges on the company’s credit card on July 30th, 2018, Fore admitted she was responsible for the suspicious charges, and was fired from her job
The embezzlement scheme occurred between 2002 and 2018. A restitution hearing for Fore is scheduled for April 20th, 2020.
“Less than a year after she was hired, Lisa Fore began embezzling from the family-owned company for which she worked and from the family themselves. She continued the embezzlement scheme for at least 16 years, taking advantage of the relationships she cultivated for her own purposes,” says US Attorney Robert Hur, in a statement. “Now Lisa Fore will serve almost four years in federal prison to reflect on her betrayal of trust. Let this sentence serve as a warning to others who might be tempted to abuse their position for personal gain.”
By Kevin McManus