Law Firm Employee Who Embezzled Nearly $1.5M Sentenced to 4+ Years in Federal Prison

A law firm controller who embezzled over $1.48 million from her firm by inflating her payroll was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Christiane Kathleen Irwin, 44, was indicted in March 2022. She pleaded guilty in August 2023 to wire fraud and was sentenced Wednesday to 50 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who also ordered her to pay $1,483,008.56 in restitution.

According to court documents, Ms. Irwin, who worked for a law firm and was responsible for submitting payroll each week, falsely inflated her salary, which was set at approximately $140,000 annually, not including bonuses, some as high as $50,000.

In accordance with her fraudulent payroll submission, the firm's payroll vendor transferred her purported pay from the firm's bank account into her bank account every two weeks.

Over the course of three years, from 2019 to 2021, Ms. Irwin took home over $1.48 million in fraudulently obtained funds. Irwin used these funds to enhance her personal lifestyle, including the purchase of a luxury vehicle, and multiple vacations.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nashonme Johnson and Jenna Rudoff prosecuted the case with the help of Financial Auditor Sheila Powell.