Kimberly Wilde Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Brattleboro Law Firm

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Kimberly Wilde, 49, of Guilford, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Rutland to a charge of wire fraud. Chief Judge Christina Reiss released Wilde on conditions pending sentencing in mid-November. An exact sentencing date has not yet been set.

On June 24, 2013, the United States Attorney filed a one- count information charging Wilde with wire fraud. This is the charge to which she pled guilty today. According to the information, until January 2013, Wilde was employed by the Potter Stewart Law Offices in Brattleboro. Her duties at the firm included managing the firm’s finances. She had access to the firm’s check stock, its bank statements, and its credit cards. The information alleges that beginning no later than 2007 and continuing until this past January when her employment ended, Wilde embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the law offices. Wilde did this by fraudulently causing the firm to issue company checks which benefitted her, including payments for personal expenses; by causing electronic transfers of firm funds to pay personal bills; and by misusing firm credit cards. In an effort to conceal her misappropriation, Wilde falsified and altered bank statements and other financial records.

Wilde faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence will be determined with reference fo federal sentencing guidelines.

This case was investigated by the Brattleboro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Wilde is represented by Thomas Costello. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.