Sacramento Business’ Former Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

SACRAMENTO, CA—Ladonna Faye Chandler, 54, of Elk Grove, pleaded guilty today to 12 counts of felony bank fraud for cashing altered and stolen checks of a Sacramento business, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

According to court documents, from July 2007 through October 2010, Chandler was employed as the bookkeeper of Platinum Services LLC (PSL), a Sacramento County company that provided commercial janitorial services. Chandler was in charge of PSL’s finances, including issuing checks for expenditures, depositing checks, transfer funds between accounts, and receiving checks and payments from clients. Chandler altered PSL’s checks to obtain approximately $309,369 for her personal use.

Chandler is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Morrison C. England on June 27, 2013. Chandler faces 30 years in prison for each count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.