Home Baltimore Press Releases 2009 General Manager and Financial Controller of Silver Spring Country Club Sentenced for Stealing Over $1.3 Million from...
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General Manager and Financial Controller of Silver Spring Country Club Sentenced for Stealing Over $1.3 Million from Club Accounts

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 19, 2009
  • District of Maryland (410) 209-4800

GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Akinyeme Bamisaiye, a/k/a Yemi Olufemi Bamisaiye, age 41, of Clarksville, Maryland and Sajjad Nazar Mahar, age 49, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, each to 52 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with a scheme to steal funds from their former employer, a country club in Silver Spring, Maryland, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Bamisaye and Mahar pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering; Mahar also pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The defendants were taken into custody today to begin serving their sentence.

Judge Titus also issued an order of forfeiture of $1,346,883.98 against the defendants, the amount stolen from the country club, and in partial satisfaction of the money judgement, ordered the forfeiture of Bamisaiye’s vehicle.

According to Bamisaiye’s plea agreement and court documents, Bamisaiye was the controller, and Mahar was the general manager, of the country club. Bamisaiye’s duties included serving as the country club’s accountant and financial manager. Beginning in 2001, Bamisaiye and Mahar created fictitious employees, kept former employees on the payroll and placed individuals on the payroll who provided personal services to them (the “ghost employees”). Bamisaiye and Mahar caused electronic payments to be made from the country club to the ghost employees. Bamisaiye and Mahar then deposited many of the payroll checks into their personal accounts. In addition, the defendants took money from an operating and a capital account controlled by the country club.

Bamisaiye used the stolen money for his own benefit, including toward the purchase of a home, and the purchase of a vehicle. Mahar also wrote checks drawn on the country club accounts to pay his personal expenses, and to lease and purchase vehicles for his personal use. Mahar also wrote checks made payable directly to Mahar Farms, a business which he owned.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorneys David I. Salem and Christen Sproule, who prosecuted the case.

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