Ontario County Woman Indicted On Wire And Bank Fraud Charges

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment charging Karen Owens, 54, of Phelps, NY, with wire fraud and bank fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was employed by Finger Lakes Conveyors, Inc. (FLC) as its Director of Finance from 2003 to 2017. According to the indictment, during that time period, Owens embezzled over $750,000 in funds from FLC’s bank account by writing approximately 550 unauthorized checks to herself and to pay off her and her husband’s personal credit cards.  The defendant, who was responsible for maintaining FLC’s accounting records, would conceal the unauthorized checks by falsely recording them in FLC’s QuickBooks ledger as payments to FLC’s vendors for legitimate business expenses. 

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

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