Connecticut Bookkeeper Admits to Embezzling Over $750,000 from Law Firm

A 58-year-old bookkeeper from Ellington, Connecticut, has admitted to embezzling more than $750,000 from a Hartford law firm. The individual entered her plea in New Haven federal court, as reported by CT Insider.

From 2010 to 2022, she worked as the office manager and bookkeeper, using the firm's software to create hundreds of fake checks made payable to herself. Prosecutors revealed that she forged the owner's signature on these checks and deposited them into her personal account, while also altering bookkeeping records to conceal her activities.

In addition to the fraudulent checks, she misappropriated approximately $176,000 in cash rental payments from properties owned by the firm. She also pleaded guilty to tax evasion for failing to report this income and not filing taxes for several years.

The bookkeeper has agreed to repay $753,838 in restitution to the law firm, along with nearly $226,000 in back taxes, penalties, and interest to the IRS. She is currently free on a $40,000 bond and is scheduled for sentencing in December.