A former accountant for a Richmond-based paving company is facing serious allegations after being charged with embezzling more than $800,000 from her employer. Angela Fae Brown, a 53-year-old resident of Olivehurst, was arraigned on Tuesday on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, and tax evasion, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors claim that Brown orchestrated an embezzlement scheme that spanned from September 2017 to November 2022, during which she exploited financial vulnerabilities within Viking Pavers to unlawfully enrich herself. Utilizing her accounting skills, Brown allegedly assumed the identity of the company’s owner and established a fraudulent account with a payment processing service, linking it to her personal bank account.
Through this deceptive scheme, Brown generated numerous fictitious invoices for services and electronically sent them to the fake account she controlled. She then proceeded to pay these invoices using the company’s funds via the payment processing service, effectively channeling the money into her personal bank account.
The district attorney’s office highlighted that Brown’s trusted position as an employee, coupled with her access to various financial controls, allowed her to conceal her embezzlement activities for an extended period. However, her actions were eventually discovered by a manager, prompting an investigation by the Richmond Police Department and financial forensic analysts from the district attorney’s office.
On April 19, Brown was arrested, and she is currently being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $2 million bail.
2 Responses
Do you think the company bears any responsibility for not having proper checks and balances in place to prevent such a large-scale embezzlement?
Did you know that embezzlement is one of the most common white-collar crimes? According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the average embezzlement case involves a loss of around $140,000 and lasts for about 18 months before being detected. This case involving the former accountant embezzling over $800,000 is an unfortunate example of the severity and impact of such crimes.