Accountant Pleads Guilty to Embezzling more than $1 Million
DAYTON – Deborah Yosick, 60, currently of Davenport, Florida, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to embezzling more than $1 million.
She pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and income tax evasion.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS), and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Division, announced the plea entered into on Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon L. Ovington.
According to court documents, Yosick embezzled money from her employer, Donald C. Wright Investments, LLCand its sister company Don Wright Realty, LLC. Don Wright’s businesses are family-owned and are based in Centerville, Ohio.
Don Wright provided various commercial, industrial, and residential services in the Dayton,Ohio-area.
Between approximately 1985 and October 2015, Yosick was Don Wright’saccountant and was principallyresponsible for handing its accountspayables and accounts receivables, including making journal entriesrelating to receivables, crediting tenant accounts as rents were received and preparing deposit slips and makingdeposits on behalf of Don Wright.
Yosick was personally responsible fordepositing rental receipts (whetherthey were cash or check) into theappropriate Don Wright bank account.
Between 2010 and approximatelyOctober 2015, Yosick devised a schemeto defraud and embezzle money from Don Wright by using rental payments to pay her personal American Expressbill, by initiating ACH transfers from a Don Wright bank account. She used aportion of the cash she embezzled topurchase money orders fromsupermarkets, Wal-Mart and postoffices and use the money orders topay her personal American Express credit card bills.
Also, between March 2013 andapproximately October 2015, Yosick embezzled funds from Don Wright by causing approximately 70 electronictransfers (ACH payments) from acompany bank account to American Express in order to pay her personal credit card bill.
In total, between 2010 andapproximately October 2015, Yosick embezzled $1,098,778.23 from Don Wright.
Additionally, Yosick committed income tax evasion by filing a false income tax return for the 2014 income tax year by underreporting her taxable income byapproximately $303,808, which resultedin tax due and owing of approximately $94,601, which represented the embezzled funds from Don Wright.
In total, Yosick attempted to evade paying $255,571 in federal income taxesto the IRS for the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013and 2014 income tax years.
Yosick agreed to pay restitution to Don Wright Realty LLC in the amount of $1,098,778.23 and to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $255,571.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, and income tax evasion is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment.
“Tax evasion and embezzlement schemes of this magnitude and with this degree of trickery, dishonesty and deceit, deserves to be punished,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “The IRS, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office remain determined and vigilant in ferreting out such schemes to cheat the honest taxpayers.”
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative law enforcement investigation, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: FBI PRESS RELEASE