Financial Fraud: Lee’s Summit, Mo. Sentenced For a Series of Embezzlement Schemes
Lee’s Summit Woman Sentenced for $1.5 Million Embezzlement Schemes, Identity Theft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for a series of embezzlement schemes totaling more than $1.5 million.
Patricia Webb, 44, of Lee’s Summit, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Webb to pay $1,564,745 in restitution to her victims.
On Nov. 22, 2016, Webb pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Webb has been in federal custody since her bond was revoked by the court for unrelated fraudulent conduct. While on pretrial release in this case, the government received information that Webb had submitted fraudulent documents to potential employers. She informed an employment agency that she was not the person in the news related to this case, and that someone had stolen her identity. Webb also submitted an altered version of the criminal complaint filed in this case to the employment agency. Based upon this information, the court revoked her bond and she was remanded to custody.
Webb admitted that she embezzled at least $1,526,594 in total from Garmin International, Black and Veatch and TriStar Benefit Administrators over the course of four years, 2012 through 2016. Webb registered a business in the name of “Beauty Within Me” and opened a bank account in the name of the business. She then utilized this bank account to divert money stolen from her victims.
Garmin Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she embezzled $1,255,175 million from Garmin while employed as a senior payroll specialist.
Webb caused Garmin to send 16 unauthorized Automated Clearing House payments (fund transfers, such as direct deposits and business-to-business payments) to her Beauty Within Me bank account from Feb. 24, 2012, to May 30, 2014. The payments were sent on behalf of then-current employees who were utilizing Garmin’s relocation program. Webb caused Garmin funds to be recorded to the in-transit employee’s W-2, under the code “P,” which was inflated to mask Webb’s embezzlement. After the clearing of the ACH payments, Webb would alter Garmin’s general ledger to reflect the fraudulent payments as “Relocation Expenses.”
Black and Veatch Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she embezzled $302,183 from Black and Veatch while employed as a global payroll manager. Webb was employed by Black and Veatch from January 2015 until March 4, 2016 and earned $90,000 per year. Webb facilitated unauthorized wire transfers and ACH transactions from the company’s payroll account to her Beauty Within Me business bank account.
An analysis of Webb’s bank account shows a large amount of spending at casinos and cash withdrawals at casinos.
TriStar Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she stole the identity of another employee while she was working at Garmin in order to embezzle $7,385 from TriStar Benefit Administrators, the company which managed Garmin’s healthcare savings accounts.
Webb used the personal identifiable information of another Garmin employee to create a flexible spending account without his knowledge or consent. Webb submitted a request for reimbursement to TriStar in the name of this employee on July 18, 2011. The request was for hospital treatment in the amount of $7,385 and the payment from TriStar was sent to Webb’s bank account.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI.
