Federal Judge Sentences Former Simon-Williamson Clinic Employee to 30 Months in Prison for Fraud

BIRMINGHAM—A federal judge today sentenced a Hoover woman to 30 months in prison for health care, wire and tax fraud involving nearly $1.2 million embezzled from a Birmingham health care provider, United States Attorney Joyce White Vance announced in conjunction with U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI and IRS officials.

KIMBERLY PERRIN, 41, worked as comptroller for the Simon-Williamson Clinic in Birmingham. She embezzled $1,197,074 from the clinic between July 2005 and February 2009.

U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre ordered PERRIN to pay combined restitution of $1,553,419 to the clinic and to the Internal Revenue Service. PERRIN is repay the clinic $1,197,074 and the IRS $356,345 in unpaid taxes. PERRIN also must forfeit $1,197,074 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity.

Judge Bowdre ordered PERRIN to serve three years supervised release after completing her prison term, and to perform 40 hours of community service.

“Over the course of several years, Perrin wrote numerous checks totaling more than $1.1 million from her employer’s business account to enhance her own personal lifestyle,” Vance said. “In so doing, Perrin not only stole from her employer, she defrauded the IRS out of more than $356,000 in unpaid income taxes. Such criminal conduct must be punished in order to discourage others who might be tempted by their own greed,” Vance said.

PERRIN carried out her embezzlement scheme by causing the clinic to issue and mail checks both to her, personally, and to third parties to pay for her personal expenses. In order to conceal her conduct, Perrin did not make appropriate entries on the clinic’s books and records.  Perrin also did not report receiving the income on her tax returns for the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 tax years.

“Stealing from a health care provider hurts that business and the doctors who work there, but it also affects the cost of health care and, therefore, harms us all,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley. “That is why the FBI takes seriously its responsibility to investigate and hold accountable individuals who perpetrate this, and all white-collar crime,” he said.

“The IRS enforces the nation's tax laws, but also takes particular interest in cases where someone, for their own personal benefit, has taken what belonged to others,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Reginael D. McDaniel.  “We are pleased with the successful resolution of this investigation due to the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI,"  McDaniel said.

“It is repulsive that during a time when many Americans are concerned over health care costs, Ms. Perrin defrauded a health care system of well over a million dollars,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge, Atlanta Division, Martin D. Phanco. “I am proud to say, as in this case, postal inspectors stand vigilant to track such detrimental fraud and assist in prosecution whenever the scheme involves U.S. mail.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Peeples prosecuted the government’s case.