Sacramento Business’ Former Bookkeeper Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. sentenced Ladonna Faye Chandler, 54, of Elk Grove, today to 21 months in prison for cashing altered and stolen checks of a Sacramento business, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Chandler was ordered to pay $309,369 in restitution and a $1,200 additional special penalty assessment.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez prosecuted 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. In her scheme to defraud, Chandler altered PSL’s checks to divert the proceeds for her personal use. She also negotiated checks made payable to PSL for services performed by PSL. Through her fraud scheme, Chandler stole approximately $309,369 for her personal use.