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Kellie L. Johnson, former First Community Bank “FCB” vice president during her nearly 25-year tenure at the bank, embezzled customer funds according to a guilty plea in May 2023.

Johnson admitted to embezzling about $2.3 million between July 2013 and June 2023. Through diverting money from the bank’s Federal Reserve account, Johnson used...

Not every fraud scheme is simple or uses traditional methods such as taking physical monies or initiation bank transfers.

Such is the case of Rufus Chappell who was a former state of Michigan employee who worked for the Unemployment Insurance Agency and Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. In his role Chappell was expected...

Kisean Paul Anderson aka Sean Kingston is a music artist mostly known for a 2000’s R&B hit song, “Beautiful Girls”.

Having this stardom led to brands providing products to Anderson in order to boost sales through association with the popular star. However, things did not go as planned for some brands who were...

Unfamiliar charges on your credit card?

This was the case for Mears Floral, a Springfield, Missouri business founded in 1949. Mears Floral served retail florists in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Mears Floral was in operation for over 70 years and employed Kayellen Faye Inskip as a bookkeeper and Operations Manager.

On...

Dennis Merle Huston pled guilty to a complicated embezzlement scheme to steal millions from Franklin County, Washington. 

Huston was the former director of administration and accounting at Franklin County Public Works. Huston confessed from March 1990 to February 2012, he fraudulently submitted invoices and payment requests for Critzer Equipment Company, then deposited the...

After James Rupard moved to Stewartsville, North Carolina, he began working for the volunteer fire department.

While there he held positions as captain, treasurer, and eventually became Stewartsville Firefighters Association president. Stewartsville Firefighters Association was a separate, charitable association in charge of collecting and disbursing donations to the fire department.  

Rupard opened...

Hermes is a French luxury company founded in Paris in 1837, by Thierry Hermès. The brand is a luxury staple popular for clothing, jewelry, and most notably, handbags. Arguably the most valuable luxury brand at $281 billion as of April 2025.

For such a high value company, there is a need for advisors...

Employee theft can be difficult to detect, especially in small and midsize businesses where one trusted employee may have significant control over financial transactions.

Fraud rarely announces itself. More often, it appears as a series of small inconsistencies, unusual behaviors, or unexplained financial results. While no single warning sign proves an...

When fraud occurs It’s often a trusted employee having too much control over the organization’s finances, with no checks or proper fraud prevention measures in place.

Such is the case for Mr. Mark Cina who worked as a comptroller at two companies in Poughkeepsie, New York. Company One designed and manufactured solar energy...

Embezzlement doesn’t always look like a dramatic theft. Sometimes, it looks like an ordinary accounting entry.

A recent federal case involving a Kansas City, Missouri executive illustrates how a trusted employee can use access to company finances to steal millions of dollars while attempting to make the company’s financial records appear legitimate.