Norwalk Resident Charged with Defrauding Employer Out of More Than $400,000
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 12, 2011 |
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ROBERTA DAVIS, 45, of Norwalk, has been arrested on a criminal complaint charging her with bank fraud and credit card fraud. The charges stem from an alleged scheme by DAVIS to defraud her former employer out of more than $400,000.
According to court documents and statements made in court, DAVIS, while employed by Theatre Projects Consultants (“TPC”) of Norwalk, allegedly used TPC check stock to write checks made payable to herself in the total amount of approximately $349,365.76. DAVIS also allegedly used the TPC computer system to make it appear as though each check was made out to a vendor for a corresponding invoice when, in reality, there was no such invoice and the check was made out to her. DAVIS then fraudulently signed the checks in the name of an authorized TPC account signatory and deposited them into her bank account.
The criminal complaint further alleges that DAVIS used TPC’s American Express account to charge approximately $58,534.11 in personal expenditures on the corporate cards of individuals working at TPC. The items DAVIS allegedly charged included extensive travel for her and her family members for personal trips, gas, clothing and other personal expenditures, including jewelry. DAVIS was not issued a TPC American Express card of her own, but she was responsible for paying TPC’s American Express bill.
DAVIS was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday, September 8. On Friday, she appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina and was ordered detained and transferred to the District of Connecticut. The criminal complaint was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Connecticut.
If convicted of bank fraud, DAVIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. If convicted of credit card fraud, DAVIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Fein stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric J. Glover.