North Carolina Woman Indicted for Embezzling More Than 500,000 From Farwell Funeral Service in Nashua

CONCORD – A North Carolina woman was indicted in connection with charges arising out of her embezzlement of funds from her previous employer, Farwell Funeral Service in Nashua, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

LaSaundra Simmons, 51, previously of Nashua, was indicted on 10 counts of wire fraud on December 6, 2023.  Simmons was arrested in North Carolina on December 11, 2023, and was ordered released on conditions on January 3, 2023.

According to the charging documents, Simmons worked as the bookkeeper for Farwell Funeral Service, Inc. for several years.  Starting in 2015, and continuing until it was discovered in January 2023, Simmons employed a scheme to embezzle funds from the company.  On more than 100 occasions, she either made unauthorized wire transfers of funds from the funeral home’s bank account to her own account, or drafted unauthorized checks which she deposited by electronic wire transfer into her own account.  She would often describe these checks as “commissions” or “consulting fees.”  She embezzled more than $500,000 over the course of the scheme.

Each charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and up to 3 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nashua Police Department led the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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