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United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

09/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 14:07

Dartmouth Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling From Multiple Employers

Press Release

Dartmouth Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling From Multiple Employers

Wednesday, September 11, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

BOSTON - A Dartmouth woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from two different employers.

Jasmyne Botelho, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18, 2024. Botelho was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024.

Between September 2017 and April 2020, Botelho stole at least $280,000 from her employer. Specifically, Botelho directed payments purportedly intended for the company's vendors to bank accounts she controlled and used company funds to make payments on personal credit cards and an auto loan. To hide her scheme, Botelho falsified her employer's books and records to make it appear as though the payments had in fact been sent to legitimate vendors rather than to Botelho.

Between May 2022 and December 2023, Botelho improperly inflated her payroll from another employer by more than $160,000. She concealed her scheme by manipulating her employer's payroll and accounting software to hide her inflated payroll as well as phony "reimbursements" she paid herself.

The charge of wire fraud provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

Updated September 11, 2024
Topic
Financial Fraud