A True Story Round-up for July 13, 2010:

Our first story comes from Louisiana where a woman faces charges for stealing more than a half-million dollars from her former employer.  She admitted to stealing $27,000, but then an audit turned up another $587,000… ouch!

Off to Nebraska for story #2 where a secretary accused of stealing more than $300,000 from school funds pleaded guilty.  She is accused of diverting money from school funds between 2002 and July 2009 while employed as a bookkeeper.

Story #3 takes place in LA where a bookkeeper handling accounts for a Southern California cement products firm embezzled $1.6 million from her boss and spent the money on a lavish lifestyle.  She used the money for meals at high-end restaurants, concert tickets, a Ducati motorcycle for her husband, a BMW SUV for herself and a home in a gated community next to Hollywood Park.

A former secretary at Beverly Hospital has been indicted in a complicated “check lapping” scheme that prosecutors say netted her more than $200,000 over a four-year period is story #4 for the week of July 13, 2010.  Check lapping is when a person, such as a bookkeeper, steals an amount of money, either cash or a check, intended to cover one expense and then uses money intended for a different expense to pay the first bill.

Our last story for the round-up is set in Colorado where a woman is accused of stealing money from Moore Lumber and applying the funds to her own debt was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $232,000 in restitution as part of a plea bargain.  As part of her deal, she has to notify all future employers of the crime.

If you have stories to share, send them to truestories@auditmybooks.com.  If we publish them, we’ll give you full credit and a link back to your site

-CP Morey