Diane Schmaler Jailed For Dorset Field Club Embezzlement

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Diane Schmaler, 62, of Cossayuna, NY, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to six months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to a charge of interstate transportation of stolen money.  U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III ordered that Schmaler serve three years of supervised release following completion of her prison term.  As part of her supervised release term, Schmaler must spend an additional six months in home confinement.  Judge Sessions stated that he will order Schmaler to pay full restitution for all the victim's losses, in an amount to be determined at a hearing next month.  The court directed Schmaler to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving her sentence on October 7.

According to the charging information and other court records, Schmaler had been employed for about 25 years by the Dorset Field Club of Dorset, VT as a bookkeeper and manager of finance and administration.  Schmaler paid the club's bills, handled payroll and maintained the general ledger. 

Beginning no later than 2007 and continuing until June 2013, Schmaler embezzled not less than $70,000 from the club.  She did this primarily by issuing checks to herself without authorization.  She also inflated payroll checks which the club issued to her and stole some of the cash receipts from special events held at the club.  Schmaler attempted to conceal the embezzlement by falsifying entries in the club's general ledger.  Schmaler quit her employment with the club in September 2013.  At that time, an audit of the club's books was about to start.  The audit uncovered the embezzlement.

The exact amount of the loss is still being determined.  Schmaler has already repaid $60,000 to the club. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Schmaler is represented by Robert O'Neill.  The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.