An Independence, Missouri, woman was sentenced in federal court today for stealing more than $500,000 from her employer.
Tammy Myers, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nearly two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Myers to pay $521,996 in restitution and to forfeit to the government $429,025, which represents her gain from the criminal conduct.
On Jan. 10, 2024, Myers pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Myers admitted she embezzled over $500,000 from the company over a decade by paying her credit cards from company accounts and writing checks to herself that were pre-signed by the company’s owner. Her fraud scheme was discovered in 2022 when the company hired a consulting firm to review its finances.
Myers was employed by Builders Overhead Door Service, Inc., in Blue Springs, Missouri, from 1998 through 2022. Myers, who became the head of accounting in 2012, admitted she engaged in a scheme to defraud Builders Overhead Door Service from January 2013 to December 2022.
Myers admitted she used the company’s bank account information to pay off the balances on her credit cards, totaling $429,025. All of the purchases on the credit cards were for personal expenses, such as travel, entertainment, utilities, groceries, and retail shopping. Myers used company funds to pay for a helicopter trip in South Dakota, travel expenses for a family trip to Tennessee, and costs associated with her diamond art hobby, among other personal expenses.
In addition to paying her credit cards, Myers admitted she wrote checks to herself from the company’s bank account without the authorization of the owner. Myers deposited the unauthorized checks, which had been pre-signed by the owner, into her personal bank account and spent that money on personal expenses. The total amount of unauthorized checks she wrote to herself was $86,477.
Myers also admitted that while she was using company funds to pay her credit cards and writing checks to herself, she let the company fall behind on payroll, real estate, and sales and use taxes.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the FBI.
